Marubeni Consumer Platform US (MCPU), established under Marubeni Corporation’s Next Generation Corporate Development Division, has acquired Jacobson Group (Jacobson), a portfolio of lifestyle footwear brands including Gola, Lotus, Ravel, and Frank Wright, along with licensed brands Dunlop and Lonsdale. Under the agreement, Jacobson Group will be integrated into the MCPU’s lifestyle platform, with RGB Brands (RGB) serving as the platform engine.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
Under the agreement, Jacobson Group will be integrated into MCPU’s lifestyle platform, with RGB Brands (RGB) under the leadership of President and CEO Bob Mullaney.
RGB includes Dearfoams, Baggallini and the Columbus Product Group. In November, RGB agreed in principle to acquire the global slipper license for Clarks and the U.S. slipper license for Timberland from Green Market Services.
“This is a transformative moment for RGB,” said Mullaney. “Gola brings cultural relevance and global ambition, and the broader Jacobson portfolio extends the platform’s reach across lifestyle and heritage categories. Our values are closely aligned, and we are committed to investing in what already makes these brands distinctive. By pairing Jacobson’s strengths with RGB’s scale, infrastructure, and operational excellence, we are well-positioned to accelerate growth across key international markets.”
Marubeni said with the acquisition, MCPU is building a “sizable consumer platform” in the U.S.
Marubeni stated, “Jacobson Group has evolved from a family-founded British footwear business into a globally recognized, multi-brand enterprise. Gola’s more than 120-year heritage and timeless design aesthetic in lifestyle and casual footwear anchor the portfolio and strengthen the platform’s position in attractive, high-potential categories. At the same time, its established brands and select licensing partnerships will continue to fuel growth across the UK, U.S., and other international markets — delivering further category diversification alongside expansion into new territories.”
Marubeni added that integrating Jacobson into its RGB platform “will unlock meaningful value through shared scale, enhanced go-to-market capabilities and the opportunity to elevate heritage brands with significant untapped potential.”
Jacobson Group will continue to be led by its existing leadership team, including Tony Evans, Gary Shutt, Jonathan Jacobson, and Donna Hill.
“The acquisition of Jacobson Group advances the platform architecture we’ve been building, and comes at a particularly exciting time, fueled by Gola’s rapidly expanding market resonance. This marks a defining step in establishing the MCPU lifestyle platform as a scalable, multi-brand ecosystem,” said Shana Randhava, president, MCPU. “With RGB anchoring operational excellence, this move reinforces Marubeni’s strategy, advanced through its Next Generation Corporate Development Division, to build category-led consumer platforms powered by shared engines, capable of shaping the company’s growth trajectory over the coming decade.”
Harvey Jacobson, founder and executive chairman, Jacobson Group, added, “I am hugely proud of everything Jacobson Group has achieved since my brother and I launched the business in 1982. It has been a privilege to steward these iconic British footwear brands, and I would like to thank all our employees for the commitment and dedication they have shown to our family business over many decades. As we look to the future, Marubeni and RGB Brands offer the ideal platform, vision, and long-term commitment to take Jacobson’s brands into their next phase of growth. I am confident the business will continue to go from strength to strength, and I wish everyone at Jacobson, RGB and Marubeni every success as they embark on this exciting new chapter together.”
Tony Evans, CEO, Jacobson Group, said the company has never been in a stronger position, and joining this platform will allow the Group to build on that momentum while remaining true to the values that make Jacobson Group so special.
“This acquisition represents a major milestone for the business, and I look forward to working closely with the RGB and Marubeni teams to drive growth across the globe,”Evans continued. “I would also like to extend my heartfelt thanks to all our Jacobson employees as we celebrate this landmark achievement. Finally, I would like to recognize the enormous role that Harvey and the wider Jacobson family has played in making the Group what it is today. He has put his heart and soul into growing the business, and we all owe him our sincere thanks as we wish him well in his retirement.”
Image courtesy Gola
