Aerosoles Owner American Exchange Group to Buy Allbirds for $39M
American Exchange Group, whose brand portfolio includes Aerosoles, has agreed to buy direct-to-consumer footwear brand Allbirds for about $39 million, reports Yahoo Finance. The transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026. Allbirds once reached a peak valuation of $4.2 billion, filed an IPO in 2021, and had planned to open hundreds of stores. It never reached that goal.
Allbirds warned of “substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern” in financial filings Tuesday. The company closed all of its full-price U.S. stores in recent months, leaving only two U.S. outlet stores and two full-price London stores open. Last year, Allbirds' net sales plummeted nearly 20 percent year-over-year to $152.5 million. The company said it has never turned a profit; net loss last year narrowed by 17 percent compared to 2024, but topped $77 million.
Total Retail's Take: Once a prime example of explosive direct-to-consumer success, Allbirds has failed to sustain that momentum just five years after it went public. Its brick-and-mortar business has almost entirely collapsed and its acquisition purchase amount is a fragment of its peak valuation. A shift back to e-commerce and toward wholesale is part of a five-year turnaround plan that Allbirds revealed in 2025 after revenue declined 25 percent year-over-year.
American Exchange Group (AXNY) owns a diverse portfolio of brands, including Aerosoles, Jones New York, Mudd, and Indie Lee, and partners with some of the strongest brand names in fashion, home, and lifestyle. The company's mission is to "support brands and companies in the development of successful, responsible business" by providing expertise, tools and services that are instrumental to facilitate growth.
In a company press release, CEO Joe Vernachio stated, "Over the past decade, Allbirds has evolved into a lifestyle footwear brand known for modern design, innovative materials and unparalleled comfort. This next chapter with AXNY builds on the foundational work already completed and sets up the brand to thrive in the years ahead."
- Categories:
- Mergers & Acquisitions
Kristina Stidham is the digital content director at Total Retail and sister brands Women in Retail Leadership Circle and Women Leading Travel & Hospitality at NAPCO Media. She is passionate about digital media and handles video, podcast and virtual event production for all brands. You can often find her at WIRLC, TR, WLT&H or industry events with her camera and podcasting equipment—or at home on Zoom—recording interviews with thought leaders and business executives.
Kristina holds a B.A. in Media Studies and Production from the Temple University Klein College of Media and Communication in Philadelphia. Go Owls! When she's not in the office, she loves to go on long walks, sing around the house, hangout with her family and two pet guinea pigs, and travel to new places.
