Marubeni acquires the Jacobson Group, owner of Gola

Japanese conglomerate Marubeni Corporation, which operates across various business sectors, including lifestyle, food, agriculture, chemicals, and energy, has acquired UK-based footwear brand owner Jacobson Group Limited, which owns heritage British trainer brand Gola, as it looks to form a lifestyle brand business platform.

The acquisition comes through Marubeni Consumer Platform US (MCPU), a dedicated investment platform under Marubeni’s Next Generation Corporate Development Division, which aims to build a scalable lifestyle brand business platform.

The division entered the lifestyle brand management business in 2024 through the acquisition of R.G. Barry Corporation (RGB), which owns brands such as Dearfoams, the market leader in the US in room shoes and slippers, as part of its goal to enter the consumer sector in the US.

The Jacobson Group owns several footwear brands, including Lotus, Ravel, and Frank Wright, alongside holding the licensing rights for Dunlop and Lonsdale. Its flagship brand is Gola, a footwear brand founded in 1905, which is currently distributed to more than 30 countries primarily across the UK, North America, and Europe.

British-based Jacobson Group acquired by Marubeni Consumer Platform US

The Gola brand fuelled Jacobson Group's record growth in 2024, with the footwear group reporting a 38 percent increase in turnover for the year ending December 28, 2024, to 36.4 million pounds. This was driven by rapid growth in its e-commerce channels and strong performance from its retail and distribution partners in the UK, Europe, and the US, as it added several new retail partners, including John Lewis, Next, and Urban Outfitters. It was also boosted by the re-release of popular archive Gola styles, such as the Elan and Tornado.

In a statement, MCPU said that the acquisition represents the first investment strategy executed by RGB and will see the group incorporating RGB’s sales infrastructure and corporate functions with Jacobson’s brand portfolio to accelerate growth and expand its strategy to form a scalable, multi-brand lifestyle platform.

Other brands in the RGB group include bag brand Baggallini, footwear brand Planet A that uses environmentally friendly biodegradable plastics, and the Columbus Product Group, which crafts private label solutions. The group also acquired the assets of Green Market Services Co. Inc. (GMS), including the licensed slipper divisions for Clarks and Timberland in December 2025.

The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.