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Powering the future
of circular retail.

We’re ZOA, the circular retail optimisation platform of CTR Group. Backed by industrial infrastructure, intelligent routing, reverse logistics and controlled downstream ecosystems, we help you recover value from your stock through recycling, resale, rental and refurbishment.

ZOA team member 1 ZOA team member 2 ZOA team member 3 ZOA team member 4
Bespoke infrastructure. Complete control.
The ZOA Circular Cascade™
Retailer Challenge
Returns
Overstocks
Mono stock
Electricals
Fashion
Homewares
↓
ZOA Intelligence
↓
Recovery Routes
Resale
Rental
Repair
Reuse
Recycling
Wholesale

ZOA News

CTR Group acquires Hirestreet

CTR Group has acquired Hirestreet, the UK's largest fashion rental platform, putting industrial-scale circular infrastructure directly behind its fast-growing subscription model.

Garments will now be rented through Hirestreet, then moved into resale through Thrift+ before they show wear, connecting rental directly to resale for the first time in the UK.

“Hirestreet is one of the strongest consumer brands in the circular economy, and it builds directly on what we started with Thrift+. Our strategy is to bring the leading D2C circular businesses together and give retailers a way to recover more value from their stock, first through rental and resale, and only then through traditional channels.”
Mark FitzGerald
CEO, CTR Group
CTR Group
“Our subscription service lets customers enjoy clothes that make them feel good, without the guilt of overspending or the commitment of ownership. To meet that demand properly, we need to scale our operations and customer care alongside it. CTR has given us the tools and infrastructure we need to properly scale.”
Isabella West
Founder, Hirestreet
Hirestreet

How We Can Help

We turn your returns, overstock, refurbishable electricals, gradeable homewares and end-of-life products into resale, rental, repair, wholesale and component recovery, routing every item to wherever it’s worth the most. Disposal is the last resort, not the business.

We take the stock you struggle to move, from returns and overstock to end-of-line product, and turn it into resale, rental, repair and recovery value.

  • ✓ Fashion & textiles
  • ✓ Electricals
  • ✓ Homewares
  • ✓ Books & media
  • ✓ Toys & lifestyle
  • ✓ Customer returns
  • ✓ Mono stock
  • ✓ Mixed loads
  • Fashion & textiles
  • Electricals
  • Homewares
  • Books & media
  • Toys & lifestyle
  • Customer returns
  • Mono stock
  • Mixed loads

Have reusable stock that needs rerouting? Talk to us.

The Platform

Behind every decision is industrial-scale circular infrastructure: processing, reverse logistics, recycling and owned resale channels across the UK and Europe, with every item tracked through .

1

Full Visibility

ACTRA is our bespoke platform, providing item-level tracking, digital manifesting, audit trails, ESG reporting and live dashboards. Full transparency across the entire product lifecycle.

2

Controlled Routing

Verified end markets, accredited partners and downstream governance help protect brands and eliminate black box processing.

3

Recovery Optimisation

Every item is routed to its highest-value outcome across resale, reuse, recycling, rental, wholesale or secure destruction.

4

UK & EU Infrastructure

Powered by CTR Group’s industrial-scale circular infrastructure, with UK (Marchington & Corby) and European (Krakow) operational capability.

Infrastructure is only half the story. Our teams are the rest.

Our operational team brings hands-on expertise in returns management, grading, refurbishment and downstream processing across the UK and Europe.

ZOA operations team, photo 1
ZOA operations team, photo 3
ZOA operations team, photo 2

The Challenge

Returns keep rising, excess stock is eroding margin, and EPR and ESG reporting are changing the economics of every product. At the same time, customers expect resale, rental and takeback from the brands they buy.

Seven structural challenges reshaping the industry.

  1. 01 Returns continue to grow in volume and cost.
  2. 02 Excess inventory erodes margin and brand value.
  3. 03 Customers expect takeback and circular engagement.
  4. 04 ESG reporting is now a board-level requirement.
  5. 05 EPR legislation is changing product economics.
  6. 06 Margin pressure demands new revenue streams.
  7. 07 Consumer perspectives are changing.

The Solution

Every challenge is an opportunity. We assess each item, route it to its highest-value outcome, from resale and rental to repair, reuse and recycling, and report back to you with full chain-of-custody visibility.

  1. Retailer challenge

    Returns, overstocks, salvage, mono stock, customer returns or mixed-category inventory.

  2. ZOA assessment

    Products are assessed for reuse, resale, repair, refurbishment and recycling opportunities.

  3. Intelligent routing

    Stock is routed through controlled downstream channels to maximise value recovery.

  4. Visibility & reporting

    You receive auditability, ESG reporting, commercial insights and chain-of-custody visibility.

Built around retailer objectives.

We support multiple commercial partnership structures depending on product category, recovery opportunity and your requirements.

  • Outright purchase
  • Consignment models
  • Profit share agreements
  • Recovery share models
  • Service-led partnerships
  • Integrated circular programmes

Specialist Circular Services

Whether you sell fashion, electricals, homewares or general merchandise, we offer specialist recovery, refurbishment, testing and reuse services.

ZOA operations team Stock sorting and grading in progress Electrical testing and refurbishment

Fashion & Textiles

Resale, rental, repair, refurbishment, authentication, steaming, wet cleaning, stain removal, cold plasma odour removal and garment sterilisation.

Electricals & Technology

Electrical testing, PAT testing, functionality testing, grading, refurbishment and controlled reuse pathways for consumer electronics and appliances.

Homewares & General Merchandise

Inspection, grading, repackaging, resale, recycling and controlled recovery solutions across household and general merchandise categories.

Returns & Reverse Logistics

Customer returns processing, reverse logistics, take-back schemes, resale optimisation and ESG reporting through one controlled platform.

Fashion & Textiles

Resale, rental, repair, refurbishment, authentication, steaming, wet cleaning, stain removal, cold plasma odour removal and garment sterilisation.

Electricals & Technology

Electrical testing, PAT testing, functionality testing, grading, refurbishment and controlled reuse pathways for consumer electronics and appliances.

Homewares & General Merchandise

Inspection, grading, repackaging, resale, recycling and controlled recovery solutions across household and general merchandise categories.

Returns & Reverse Logistics

Customer returns processing, reverse logistics, take-back schemes, resale optimisation and ESG reporting through one controlled platform.

Not sure which service fits your stock? Talk to us.

Compliance and Testing

We operate under full WEEE, environmental and data protection compliance, and every item is tested, graded and tracked before it re-enters circulation.

  • ✓ WEEE Directive compliant processing
  • ✓ Full electrical safety & PAT testing
  • ✓ Secure data destruction & GDPR compliance
  • ✓ Environment Agency registered waste carrier
  • ✓ Full audit trail via ACTRA
  • ✓ Quality-checked grading on every item

Industrial Scale

We’re backed by CTR Group's live operational network, processing over 1,500 tonnes every week across recycling, reuse and reverse logistics, with dedicated sites across the UK and Europe.

Hangers processing
150
tonnes of hangers weekly

We’re backed by CTR Group’s live operational network, processing over 1,500 tonnes every week across recycling, reuse, reverse logistics and controlled recovery operations.

With dedicated operational infrastructure across the UK and Europe, including Krakow, Poland, you can work through one controlled strategic partner across multiple territories.

That gives you faster regional processing, reduced transport complexity, improved ESG performance and consistent governance standards across markets.

Learn more about CTR Group

Operational Coverage

We operate through dedicated infrastructure across the UK and Europe, so you can work with one strategic circular partner across multiple territories.

ZOA Corby facility ZOA Corby facility

Corby, United Kingdom

UK operational infrastructure supporting reverse logistics, circular processing and controlled recovery programmes.

CTR Group Marchington facility

Marchington, United Kingdom

CTR Group's head office and secure processing hub, handling high-volume collections and routing stock through controlled resale, recycling and redistribution.

ZOA Krakow facility

Krakow, Poland

Dedicated operational infrastructure designed to support scalable European circular retail programmes.

Technology and Automation

We combine operational infrastructure with AI-supported pricing, marketplace integrations, automated routing and live reporting to help you build scalable circular propositions.

  • ✓ Customer take-back journeys
  • ✓ AI-supported pricing
  • ✓ Repair and refurbishment
  • ✓ Authentication
  • ✓ Marketplace integrations
  • ✓ Rental and subscription
  • ✓ Live ESG reporting
  • ✓ Item-level traceability
Items graded
120k+
Photos monthly
40k+
Authentications
3k+
Visitors monthly
400k+

The ZOA Difference

Proven Resale Relationships

With 18 years of resale experience, CTR Group has built a network of highly reliable resellers, buyers and international clients. Our methods are tried, tested and trusted at scale.

Resale Meets Infrastructure

CTR Group is unique in having built owned online resale platforms supported by real warehousing and fulfilment. This is a perfectly balanced ecosystem no competitor can replicate.

Three Priorities

Brand protection, commercial opportunity and ESG compliance are paramount because they dictate every route and strategy decision.

Proven relationships. 18 years of resale experience and a trusted network of resellers, buyers and international clients.

Resale meets infrastructure. Owned resale platforms backed by real warehousing and fulfilment, a balance no competitor can replicate.

Three priorities. Brand protection, commercial opportunity and ESG compliance drive every route and strategy decision.

The ZOA Ecosystem

ZOA Group is comprised of resale businesses Thrift+, Wowzer and Reuseabook, and the pioneering rental business Hirestreet. Each is a dedicated route to market for different kinds of stock, such as clothing, household products and books. These routes, alongside third-party marketplaces, mean more return on your stock’s value, back to you. Future channels are also in development: dedicated menswear, vintage and childrenswear platforms to support specialist resale opportunities, extending our owned-channel model into categories with distinct customer bases and pricing dynamics.

Thrift+ Thrift+

Preloved fashion resale, supporting second-hand clothing, customer returns and end-of-line fashion through controlled circular channels.

thrift.plus
Hirestreet.co.uk Hirestreet.co.uk

Clothing rental and subscription platform, giving garments extra revenue-earning lives before resale, and supporting circular fashion at scale.

hirestreetuk.com
Wowzer.co.uk Wowzer.co.uk

Non-fashion resale for general merchandise and household products, recovering value from customer returns, overstocks and end-of-line stock.

wowzer.co.uk
Reuseabook.co.uk Reuseabook.co.uk

Circular book recovery platform, extending the lifecycle of used books and printed media through reuse and resale, rather than disposal.

reuseabook.com

Future Channels

Dedicated menswear, vintage and childrenswear platforms being developed to support specialist resale opportunities, extending our owned-channel model into categories with distinct customer bases and pricing dynamics.

ZOA Rental

The UK's first integrated rental-as-a-service. Pay-per-wear rental built straight into your storefront. Customers browse and rent directly from your product pages and never need to leave your site, so the brand relationship, data and revenue all stay with you.

With UK fashion rental projected to reach £2.5bn by 2030, it gives returned and excess stock a revenue-generating second life: better commercially than discounting, and a genuinely sustainable option for customers.

White-label engine

A copy-and-paste snippet adds a rental button to any product page. Fully branded to your store and live on your existing site without a rebuild.

One-stop reverse logistics

You keep your stock. ZOA handles warehousing, fulfilment, transport, cleaning and repairs as a full-circle rental operation, managed end to end.

Data & insight

Reporting on customer behaviour and stock performance, backed by rental specialists who help optimise the offer over time.

Powering rental for leading UK brands

Let's Build the Future. Together.

The most successful retailers of the next decade will manage their products across multiple lifecycles, channels and markets. We provide the infrastructure to make that possible.

Talk to Us.

Isabella West

Isabella West

Saul Kurer

Saul Kurer

For general enquiries, contact: help@zoagroup.co.uk

Ready to recover more value from stock?

Let us help you on your circular journey.

Want to speak with CTR Group directly?

Get in touch with the CTR Group team.