Roots, the iconic Canadian apparel brand, has filed a federal trademark infringement and unfair competition lawsuit against Meijer, a major Michigan-based supercenter chain. The lawsuit, filed on August 8, 2025 in the US District Court for the Western District of Michigan seeks to halt Meijer’s launch of a private-label kids’ clothing line, “Roots & Threads,” alleging that the move unlawfully trades on Roots’ decades-old trademark rights and constitutes an outright attempt to trade on the goodwill and consumer recognition surrounding the ROOTS mark.
The Dispute: “Roots & Threads” Versus “ROOTS”
Meijer, which operates over 500 supercenters across the Midwest, recently applied to register “Roots & Threads” as a trademark and plans to launch a new children’s apparel collection under that name for the 2025 back-to-school season. According to the lawsuit, Roots learned of Meijer’s plans through routine trademark monitoring and alleges that Meijer’s actions, if left unchecked, will cause “inevitable confusion” among shoppers and dilute the Roots brand’s goodwill and reputation built over decades.
The Roots complaint highlights that:
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Meijer’s intended ‘Roots & Threads’ children’s line directly overlaps with Roots’ own “Roots Kids” and “Baby Roots” product ranges.
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The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has already issued a non-final Office Action, refusing Meijer’s registration application due to the likelihood of confusion with Roots’ registered trademarks. The examining attorney found that “ROOTS” is the dominant, distinctive element in both marks, and that “THREADS” is merely descriptive in the apparel context.
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Roots asserts further that Meijer is willfully moving forward despite being put on notice of these trademark rights and the risk to consumer clarity.
Legal Claims and Relief Sought
Roots’ lawsuit against Meijer lays out claims for:
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Federal trademark infringement, based on the unlawful use in interstate commerce of a mark confusingly similar to Roots’ own registrations.
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Federal unfair competition, asserting Meijer’s actions deceive consumers as to affiliation, sponsorship, or approval by Roots.
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Violations of the Michigan Consumer Protection Act and Michigan common law unfair competition.
Roots seeks a court order to:
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Block Meijer from selling, advertising, or distributing any product under the “Roots & Threads” name or similar marks in connection with apparel and accessories.
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Order a recall and destruction of all infringing products, and require Meijer to abandon its trademark application for “Roots & Threads.”
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Award Roots damages, including profits attributable to the alleged infringement, attorneys’ fees, and enhanced damages if Meijer’s conduct is found to be willful and exceptional under the Lanham Act.
Private-Label Expansion: A Double-Edged Sword
The Meijer case is a classic example of the increasing ambitions of private-label brands. While these labels—owned and managed exclusively by retailers—offer significant opportunities for margin expansion and category differentiation, they also raise the risk of encroaching on established intellectual property rights.
Private-label programs like “Roots & Threads” are strategically attractive to retailers because:
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They improve control over quality and sourcing
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Deliver higher profit margins than national brands
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Enable rapid adaptation to trends and consumer preferences
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Allow for exclusive product positioning
However, if a private label’s branding edges too close to legacy or specialty brands, even unintentionally, it can provoke litigation and reputational backlash. That is exactly what Meijer is facing: Roots has a 50-year history in the U.S. market, owns multiple federal trademarks—including for “ROOTS KIDS” and “BABY ROOTS”—and has a clear record of robust brand enforcement.
The Stakes for Both Companies
For Roots, the case is about protecting the integrity and value of its brand in a key regional market where its founders’ legacy runs deep. The complaint details Roots’ careful licensing strategy and history of aggressively defending its marks against similar-sounding competitors, supporting its claim to broad and senior rights in ROOTS-formative marks in the U.S. and abroad. Notably, Roots owns more than 450 trademark registrations across 40 jurisdictions, backed by decades of use, registration, and enforcement.
For Meijer, the case centers on its ambitions to expand private-label offerings in apparel—a lucrative category in mass retail. The timing, ahead of the pivotal back-to-school season, underscores the commercial importance of the new “Roots & Threads” line but heightens the risk associated with merchandise, branding, and marketing investments should an injunction be granted.
What Happens Next
Meijer has yet to respond to Roots’ complaint in court; however the ‘Roots & Threads’ trademark has abandoned on August 22, 2025 due to a non-response to an office action from the USPTO. As Roots’ CEO and legal team have stated in their filing, the company is seeking preliminary and permanent injunctive relief, as well as financial redress, to secure its position as a long-standing leader in high-quality apparel and to send a clear message that it will vigorously protect its brand both in its “own backyard” and worldwide.
The Roots vs. Meijer case is an object lesson for the modern retail marketplace: in the quest for higher-margin private labels, retailers must navigate the competitive field with both creativity and compliance. The risks of “freeriding” off established brands extend beyond lawsuits—they threaten consumer trust and the reputations of both retailers and the brands they create.
