Who Owns Carter's?

William Carter founded the company in Needham, Massachusetts, in 1865, knitting mittens and undergarments in a region dense with textile mills. The William Carter Company grew through the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries into a major maker of knit underwear and children's sleepwear, selling to general stores and catalogs across New England and beyond.

The mid-twentieth century turned the company decisively toward babies and children. Its snap-crotch bodysuits, blanket sleepers, and layette sets became staples of the baby apparel category, and the Carter's name came to define newborn gifting in America. The company relocated its headquarters to the Atlanta area, building a distribution and retail base in the Southeast.

The modern shape dates to a leveraged buyout and refocusing in the early 2000s. Berkshire Partners and other investors took the company private in 2001, then refloated it on the NYSE in 2003 under ticker CRI. Two acquisitions defined the portfolio: OshKosh B'gosh in 2005 for roughly $312 million, which added the overalls brand founded in Wisconsin in 1895, and Skip Hop in 2017 for $140 million, which brought diaper bags and baby gear.

The company's retail fleet grew past 1,000 company-operated stores across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, alongside the wholesale business that stocks virtually every major chain selling children's clothes. Exclusive-label deals with Target, Walmart, and Amazon make Carter's, Inc. the rare brand owner that manufactures for retailers rather than competing with them.

Fiscal 2025, the 53 weeks ended January 3, 2026, produced net sales of $2.898 billion, up 1.9 percent, with operating income of $144 million and net income of $92 million. The company faced tariff-driven cost pressure on its Asia-sourced product, a headwind it has managed through sourcing shifts and price increases. Leadership transitioned in 2025 with Douglas Palladini named CEO, succeeding longtime chief Michael Casey.