A lighting unit which has a lighting unit housing with a profiled element and which has a retaining element arranged on the profiled element for retaining another lighting unit component, for example a lighting unit top sleeve and/or an operating device. The lighting unit is designed such that the retaining element is held on the profiled element solely via a latching connection. The design allows the retaining element to be connected to the profiled element in a particularly simple manner. Additionally, no special fixing elements are required in order to attach the retaining element to the profiled element.