Michael Budman and Don Green, who co-founded the brand back in 1973, will remain actively involved in the company and will be substantial shareholders, said Toronto-based Roots.

The company with its distinctive beaver logo, which has 245 retail locations spread across Canada, the United States and in parts of Asia, did not disclose the terms of the deal.

"As one of the few iconic Canadian heritage brands, we see significant growth potential for Roots in both Canada and internationally across multiple distribution channels," said Searchlight co-founder Erol Uzumeri, in a statement.

(Reporting by Euan Rocha; Editing by Alan Crosby)