Roots
Roots is a Toronto-based Canadian heritage lifestyle brand (founded 1973, TSX:ROOT) selling casual apparel, fleece sweats, activewear, and leather goods through 220+ retail stores in North America and Asia, plus e-commerce, wholesale, and B2B custom product channels.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1973
- HeadquartersToronto, Canada
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Roots does
Roots Corporation is a Toronto-based Canadian heritage lifestyle brand founded in 1973, publicly traded on the TSX under ROOT. The company designs, manufactures, and retails casual apparel, fleece sweats, activewear, and premium leather goods under its iconic Original Sweats™ collection and Cooper Beaver logo, alongside sub-brands such as The Cloud Sweats™, Salt & Pepper™, Roots Roam™, and the Canada and Made in Canada lines. Roots operates 100+ corporate retail stores in Canada, 2 in the United States, and 100+ partner-operated stores across Asia, complemented by direct e-commerce on Shopify and a growing roster of brand collaborations (New Balance, NFL, WNBA, Toronto Blue Jays, Seth Rogen, Wicked, ZANMANG LOOPY).
The business makes money through four primary streams: direct-to-consumer retail and e-commerce (the largest), domestic wholesale, B2B custom co-branded genuine leather products for enterprise clients (sports leagues, entertainment studios, Fortune 500 corporates), and brand licensing royalties. Pricing is unit-based across a wide range—from kidswear starting at CAD $7.50 to premium Original Sweats™ sweatpants at $54–$88 and leather goods at higher tiers—with Afterpay installment support. Roots pursues a sustainable materials strategy centered on organic cotton and recycled polyester, and in January 2026 signed a 10-year distribution partnership with Metro Supply Chain to harden its omnichannel backbone. In March 2026 the Board initiated a strategic review (with J.P. Morgan and Torys as advisers) exploring options including a potential sale, against a backdrop of FY2025 revenue of CAD 277.7M (5.6% YoY), a record 61.3% gross margin, and seven consecutive quarters of positive comparable sales.
Roots firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Roots
- Legal name
- Roots Corporation
- Website
- https://roots.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1973
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Roots is a Toronto-based Canadian heritage lifestyle brand (founded 1973, TSX:ROOT) selling casual apparel, fleece sweats, activewear, and leather goods through 220+ retail stores in North America and Asia, plus e-commerce, wholesale, and B2B custom product channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Roots industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Lifestyle Apparel & Leather Goods
- NAICS
- Clothing, Clothing Accessories, Shoe, and Jewelry Retailers (458), Shoe Retailers (45821), Footwear Manufacturing (3162)
- SIC
- Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600), Retail-Family Clothing Stores (5651), Retail-Shoe Stores (5661)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Streetwear & Contemporary Apparel Retail (CRAAABAM)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Casual & Lifestyle Footwear Retail (CRAAADAB), Casual & Lifestyle Footwear (CRAAACAB)
Keywords
Where Roots is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Toronto
- HQ country
- Canada
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Roots business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Direct-to-Consumer Retail: Company-owned retail stores across Canada (100+ locations), 2 US stores, and e-commerce platform generating primary revenue through retail merchandise sales to consumers.
- Partner/Wholesale Revenue: Domestic wholesale, custom products, and licensing channels generating 26.6% year-over-year growth in Q1 2026, with $6.8 million in P&O sales.
- B2B Custom Products: Custom co-branded Roots genuine leather products for corporate clients including jackets, bags, and accessories for employee incentives, appreciation gifts, and VIP gifts. Works with film festivals, production companies, concert promoters, sports teams, and Fortune 500 companies.
- Licensing Royalties: Licensing of Roots brand for co-branded products and limited-edition collections with sports partners and entertainment properties.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Kids activewear and casual wear starting at $7.50 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Backpacks and accessories from $60 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Men's Original Sweats™ sweatpants from $54.98 to $88 |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels7 records
Roots product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Roots designs, manufactures, and sells casual apparel, leather goods, and accessories under a Canadian heritage lifestyle brand founded in 1973. The company operates more than 100 corporate retail stores in Canada, two stores in the United States, and over 100 partner-operated stores across Asia, alongside a Shopify-powered direct e-commerce platform. A separate B2B division designs and manufactures custom co-branded leather products for corporate clients, team dealers, distributors, and retail partners.
Product overview
Roots is a Canadian lifestyle brand founded in 1973, operating as a vertically integrated apparel and leather goods company with retail stores across Canada, the US, and Asia plus e-commerce. The product portfolio centers on its heritage The Original Sweats™ and The Cloud Sweats™ collections, complemented by Activewear, Leather Goods (bags, wallets, accessories), and various sub-brands including the Canada Collection, Made in Canada, Roots Salt & Pepper™, Roots Roam Collection™, and Isla Collection. The company also offers brand collaborations (New Balance, ZANMANG LOOPY, Wicked, NFL Super Bowl LX) and a B2B custom leather products division serving corporate and sports clients. Products span women's, men's, kids, toddler, baby, and gender-free categories.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- The Original Sweats™ Collection
- The Cloud Sweats™ Collection
- Roots Roam Collection™
- Roots Salt & Pepper™
- Canada Collection
- Made in Canada Collection
- Roots Worldwide Collection
- Roots Activewear
- Roots Leather Goods
- Roots B2B Custom Co-Branded Leather Products
- Isla Collection
- NFL x Roots Super Bowl LX Collection
Quantifiable outcome
- Q1 2026 comparable sales growth of 3.2% for seventh consecutive quarter
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Roots
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Roots technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Roots partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.
- Participating Restaurants (Home Base)minor'Home Base' viewing parties at participating restaurants from June 12-21 as part of Summer of Sport activations, creating community connection and driving retail foot traffic.
- Duke University (Toby Fournier)coreExtended basketball brand ambassador partnership with Duke University player Toby Fournier into a second year, coinciding with her AP All-American third-team selection and Duke's 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament title. Launched second edition of limited-edition WNBA Collection.
- Torys LLPcoreLegal adviser for strategic review, providing legal counsel for the board-led process exploring options including potential sale of the company.
- Metro Supply Chaincore10-year strategic distribution partnership with Canadian third-party logistics provider Metro Supply Chain. Roots is transitioning its merchandise distribution to Metro's facility in Ontario. Metro Supply Chain focuses on data-driven, technology-enabled logistics and will enhance Roots' omnichannel experience and support growth. Transition expected to complete by end of Q2 2026, incurring $1.8 million in incremental costs.
- NFLflagshipLimited-edition apparel collection for Super Bowl LX, exclusively available at NFLShop.ca. Six-piece capsule celebrating six decades of Super Bowl's cultural significance with Canadian-inspired designs and NFL branding, aimed at Canadian fans.
- Seth RogenflagshipCanadian actor Seth Rogen as the face of Holiday 2025 campaign called 'Anything Roots', featuring nostalgic theme and holiday gift-giving concept, primarily in Canada. Campaign emphasizes Roots' heritage, community spirit, and product offerings.
- Toronto Blue JaysflagshipSports collaboration featuring Toronto Blue Jays 50th anniversary collection, which helped lift sales to $42.6 million from $40 million.
- WNBA (Tempo)flagshipWNBA Tempo apparel partnership featuring apparel celebrating Canada's first WNBA team, part of sports collaboration strategy.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Roots competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Canada Goose: Toronto-headquartered Canadian heritage lifestyle brand making premium outerwear, sweatshirts and accessories sold globally through DTC retail and wholesale. Highly comparable to Roots in origin, premium positioning, Made-in-Canada identity, and store footprint.
- Aritzia: Vancouver-based Canadian contemporary apparel retailer with strong DTC store base, expanding US presence, and a portfolio of proprietary labels. Direct overlap with Roots' womenswear, activewear and accessories categories and similar target demographic.
- Herschel Supply Co. Vancouver-headquartered Canadian lifestyle brand specializing in backpacks, bags, and travel accessories. Comparable as a heritage Canadian lifestyle brand with similar DTC, wholesale, and global retail distribution mix.
- Mark's (Canadian Tire subsidiary): Canadian apparel, footwear and accessories retailer owned by Canadian Tire (a named potential Roots acquirer). Overlaps with Roots in casual apparel, denim, workwear, and outerwear for men and women across Canada.
- MEC (Mountain Equipment Company): Canadian outdoor co-op retailer selling apparel, footwear, and gear with sustainability positioning. Comparable to Roots in Canadian heritage, sustainability narrative, and apparel/activewear overlap.
- RW&CO: Montreal-based Canadian contemporary apparel retailer serving men and women with casual and workwear styles. Comparable in store footprint, target customer, and contemporary casual apparel positioning.
Broad incumbents
- Lululemon: Vancouver-based global athletic apparel incumbent with extensive retail footprint and broad activewear/athleisure category. Comparable as a Canadian-born lifestyle apparel retailer that scaled internationally, providing a benchmark Roots aspires to.
- Nordstrom: Large US-based multi-brand department store and apparel retailer. Comparable as a broad incumbent carrying lifestyle apparel, footwear, and accessories across North America where Roots competes for share of wallet.
Regional players
- Simons: Quebec-based Canadian fashion and lifestyle department store carrying apparel, footwear, and accessories. Comparable as a Canada-only multi-brand retailer operating in similar product categories and customer base.
Emerging players
- Frank And Oak: Montreal-based Canadian sustainable apparel and lifestyle brand with DTC focus and circularity initiatives. Comparable as a smaller Canadian heritage apparel brand pursuing sustainability-led positioning.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Roots social profiles
Digital presenceRoots financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Roots leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles10 records
Roots funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Roots M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Roots
What does Roots do?
Roots designs, manufactures, and sells casual apparel, leather goods, and accessories under a Canadian heritage lifestyle brand founded in 1973. The company operates more than 100 corporate retail stores in Canada, two stores in the United States, and over 100 partner-operated stores across Asia, alongside a Shopify-powered direct e-commerce platform. A separate B2B division designs and manufactures custom co-branded leather products for corporate clients, team dealers, distributors, and retail partners.
Is Roots a public or private company?
Roots is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Roots founded?
Roots was founded in 1973. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Roots based?
Roots is headquartered in Toronto, Canada, in the North America region.
How does Roots make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Direct-to-Consumer Retail is the primary driver. The others are partner/Wholesale Revenue, B2B Custom Products and licensing Royalties.
Who are Roots's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Canada Goose, Aritzia, Herschel Supply Co., Mark's (Canadian Tire subsidiary), MEC (Mountain Equipment Company) and RW&CO. Broad incumbents are Lululemon and Nordstrom. Simons is listed as a regional player. Frank And Oak is listed as an emerging player.
Does Roots have an API?
No public API is recorded for Roots.
What industry is Roots in?
Roots's product category is Lifestyle Apparel & Leather Goods. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAAABAM, Streetwear & Contemporary Apparel Retail, with a secondary code of CRAAADAB, Casual & Lifestyle Footwear Retail. Its NAICS code is 458 and its SIC code is 5600.