GOAT Shutting Down Facilities in UK, Asia

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Updated on •Published

Quick Facts

  • Sole Retriever is reporting that GOAT is closing facilities in UK, Hong Kong, and Japan
  • Sources shared with us that GOAT reached out to sellers to ship them back product from facilities tied to their Alias platform
  • We have updated the blog with a comment we received from GOAT Group
GOAT retail

Sole Retriever can report that sneaker and streetwear resale app GOAT is shutting down a number of facilities around the world related to their subsidiary platform Alias, including operations in the UK and Asia. Sources close to the situation shared documentation with Sole Retriever that showed GOAT Group reaching out to sellers on Alias to ship them back their product from the affected facilities.

We reached out to GOAT Group for comment and did not receive a response by the time this article was published.

GOAT was founded in 2015 by Eddy Lu and Daishin Sugano and gained traction as a leading platform for users to buy and sell footwear, clothing, and accessories, both new and used. In 2018, GOAT acquired Flight Club and formed GOAT Group, which operated both entities independently of each other, as well as other acquisitions like Sneakers.com, Grailed, and Alias, the data-driven tool that allowed sellers to list products across all of GOAT Group’s portfolio.

GOAT Group began expansion in Asia in 2019, with offices in Shanghai and a distribution facility in Hong Kong. At the time, co-founder and CEO Eddy Lu said, “We know that there is a huge need to ensure authentic sneakers in the global sneaker industry, and we believe China is the perfect market to begin our global expansion."

“We know China is a unique market and if we use the same strategy as the US, we'll likely fail," Lu added. "We are building this product with a local team in order to provide the Chinese consumer with a better, more personalized experience."

GOAT Group now appears to be changing their global strategy, as Sole Retriever is reporting that they will shutter facilities in Hong Kong, Japan, and the UK.

UPDATE:

A GOAT Group spokesperson reached out to Sole Retriever with the following statement:

One of our greatest strengths as a business is our global network and we continually seek ways to enhance and optimize how we operate. This means finding more efficient processes and ensuring our resources are where they can have the most impact for our customers. Each year we have improved our global operations network and this year has been no different with the expansion of key global facilities and the consolidation of others. These changes provide more agility in our network, allow us to move faster and ultimately deliver a better service to our more than 60 million members worldwide.

Drew oversees content at Sole Retriever and hates writing in the 3rd person soooo I'm going to stop. I've written for countless blogs and magazines, from Complex to XXL and everywhere in between. Spent a long time in LA, running content and working on branded collabs at The Hundreds. Now, I'm back home on the East Coast freezing my ass off. Email me at drew@soleretriever.com with scoops, story ideas, and size 13 heat.