How Bombas is Scaling Beyond DTC Without Losing its Brand DNA

Bombas built its business by redefining an everyday essential (socks) and pairing it with a compelling social mission. Now, as the company sets its sights on becoming a $1 billion business, it’s expanding beyond its direct-to-consumer (DTC) roots.

During a keynote session at the CommerceNext Growth Show last month in New York City, Jason LaRose, CEO of Bombas, was interviewed by CNBC retail reporter Gabrielle Fonrouge. During the wide-ranging conversation, LaRose discussed Bombas' evolving growth strategy, including strengthening its supply chain, opening retail stores, and selectively expanding into wholesale partnerships. LaRose emphasized that every decision is guided by one principle: protecting the customer experience.

Expanding Beyond DTC

While Bombas remains overwhelmingly a DTC business, LaRose acknowledged that changing customer acquisition economics (i.e., it has gotten more expensive to acquire customers via digital channels) have required the company to broaden its approach.

“When customer acquisition costs were relatively low online, that model worked extremely well,” LaRose explained. But as digital advertising has become more expensive, Bombas has shifted its focus toward customer retention while thoughtfully expanding into physical retail.

The offline opportunity is significant. Roughly 70 percent of purchases in Bombas’ category still happen in brick-and-mortar stores, making physical retail too important for the brand to ignore.

Rather than pursuing wholesale simply to drive sales volume, Bombas is treating the channel as an extension of its brand. “We need to meet our customers where they are and where they want us to be,” LaRose said, stressing that wholesale is not “a cash-hungry acquisition opportunity” for the company.

That philosophy also influences Bombas’ relationships with retail partners. Instead of relying primarily on sales teams, Bombas brings merchandising, marketing and product leaders into conversations with its wholesale partners to ensure assortments and brand presentation remain consistent.

“We own the brand experience,” LaRose said of its wholesale partnerships.

Physical Stores Tell a Bigger Story

Bombas’ owned retail stores serve a different purpose than its wholesale partnerships. As the brand's assortment has expanded beyond socks into apparel, Bombas-owned stores have become an opportunity to showcase the brand’s full product portfolio in ways wholesale environments simply cannot.

“We’re no longer just a sock brand,” LaRose said.

Physical stores are also proving to be effective customer acquisition vehicles. Nearly 60 percent of shoppers visiting Bombas stores are new customers — many familiar with the brand but experiencing it in person for the first time, according to LaRose.

That insight is shaping Bombas’ real estate strategy as the company evaluates where owned stores and wholesale partnerships can best complement one another rather than compete.

Building a More Resilient Business

LaRose also highlighted the operational work happening behind the scenes to support long-term growth.

Bombas significantly diversified its sourcing strategy after supply chain disruptions exposed vulnerabilities. Once heavily dependent on China, Bombas now sources products across eight countries, reducing risk while improving flexibility.

Furthermore, Bombas expanded from operating a single warehouse in Mexico to a multinode logistics network spanning Mexico, Los Angeles, and Ohio. Positioning inventory closer to customers enables faster fulfillment while giving the company greater agility during periods of demand volatility (e.g., peak seasons).

Bombas has also invested heavily in talent, adding executives to its leadership team while maintaining continuity among long-tenured employees who were eager to help shape Bombas’ five-year growth plan.

Keeping the Mission at the Center

Despite its expansion plans, LaRose made it clear that Bombas’ social mission remains central to its strategy. Since its founding, the company has donated an item for every item purchased. LaRose said Bombas manages that commitment with the same rigor as any other part of the business.

“We run our mission like it’s a channel,” LaRose told the audience, explaining that the donation program has its own P&L accountability while remaining integrated into Bombas' overall strategy.

That commitment to philanthropy continues to resonate with consumers and employees alike. According to LaRose, 71 percent of Bombas customers are aware of the company’s mission, and it has become a meaningful differentiator in both customer loyalty and talent recruitment.

For retailers pursuing growth in an increasingly competitive landscape, Bombas’ strategy offers an important takeaway: sustainable expansion isn’t about being everywhere — it’s about showing up in the right places while staying relentlessly true to what made the brand successful in the first place.