diff --git a/runtime/src/app/app.ts b/runtime/src/app/app.ts
index f9e8cdc67..61f96bc22 100644
--- a/runtime/src/app/app.ts
+++ b/runtime/src/app/app.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { writable } from 'svelte/store';
 import App from '@sapper/internal/App.svelte';
-import { root_preload, ErrorComponent, ignore, components, routes } from '@sapper/internal/manifest-client';
+import { root_comp, ErrorComponent, ignore, components, routes } from '@sapper/internal/manifest-client';
 import {
 	Target,
 	ScrollPosition,
@@ -297,6 +297,7 @@ export async function hydrate_target(target: Target): Promise<{
 	};
 
 	if (!root_preloaded) {
+		const root_preload = root_comp.preload || (() => {});
 		root_preloaded = initial_data.preloaded[0] || root_preload.call(preload_context, {
 			host: page.host,
 			path: page.path,
diff --git a/runtime/src/server/middleware/get_page_handler.ts b/runtime/src/server/middleware/get_page_handler.ts
index c39e96c0c..86a7e13bf 100644
--- a/runtime/src/server/middleware/get_page_handler.ts
+++ b/runtime/src/server/middleware/get_page_handler.ts
@@ -154,14 +154,13 @@ export function get_page_handler(
 		let params;
 
 		try {
-			const root_preloaded = manifest.root_preload
-				? manifest.root_preload.call(preload_context, {
+			const root_preload = manifest.root_comp.preload || (() => {});
+			const root_preloaded = root_preload.call(preload_context, {
 					host: req.headers.host,
 					path: req.path,
 					query: req.query,
 					params: {}
-				}, session)
-				: {};
+				}, session);
 
 			match = error ? null : page.pattern.exec(req.path);
 
@@ -174,8 +173,8 @@ export function get_page_handler(
 					// the deepest level is used below, to initialise the store
 					params = part.params ? part.params(match) : {};
 
-					return part.preload
-						? part.preload.call(preload_context, {
+					return part.component.preload
+						? part.component.preload.call(preload_context, {
 							host: req.headers.host,
 							path: req.path,
 							query: req.query,
@@ -257,7 +256,7 @@ export function get_page_handler(
 					if (!part) continue;
 
 					props[`level${l++}`] = {
-						component: part.component,
+						component: part.component.default,
 						props: preloaded[i + 1] || {},
 						segment: segments[i]
 					};
diff --git a/runtime/src/server/middleware/types.ts b/runtime/src/server/middleware/types.ts
index bcc088918..40aa68549 100644
--- a/runtime/src/server/middleware/types.ts
+++ b/runtime/src/server/middleware/types.ts
@@ -10,17 +10,18 @@ export type Page = {
 	pattern: RegExp;
 	parts: Array<{
 		name: string;
-		component: Component;
+		component: {
+			default: Component;
+			preload?: (data: any) => any | Promise<any>;
+		},
 		params?: (match: RegExpMatchArray) => Record<string, string>;
-		preload?: (data: any) => any | Promise<any>;
 	}>
 };
 
 export type Manifest = {
 	server_routes: ServerRoute[];
 	pages: Page[];
-	root: Component;
-	root_preload?: (data: any) => any | Promise<any>;
+	root_comp: Component;
 	error: Component;
 }
 
diff --git a/src/core/create_app.ts b/src/core/create_app.ts
index 850eb66c0..22320b7e2 100644
--- a/src/core/create_app.ts
+++ b/src/core/create_app.ts
@@ -136,8 +136,9 @@ function generate_client_manifest(
 
 	return `
 		// This file is generated by Sapper — do not edit it!
-		export { default as Root } from '${stringify(get_file(path_to_routes, manifest_data.root), false)}';
-		export { preload as root_preload } from '${manifest_data.root.has_preload ? stringify(get_file(path_to_routes, manifest_data.root), false) : './shared'}';
+		// webpack does not support export * as root_comp yet so do a two line import/export
+		import * as root_comp from '${stringify(get_file(path_to_routes, manifest_data.root), false)}';
+		export { root_comp };
 		export { default as ErrorComponent } from '${stringify(get_file(path_to_routes, manifest_data.error), false)}';
 
 		export const ignore = [${server_routes_to_ignore.map(route => route.pattern).join(', ')}];
@@ -166,8 +167,8 @@ function generate_server_manifest(
 		manifest_data.server_routes.map((route, i) =>
 			`import * as route_${i} from ${stringify(posixify(`${path_to_routes}/${route.file}`))};`),
 		manifest_data.components.map((component, i) =>
-			`import component_${i}${component.has_preload ? `, { preload as preload_${i} }` : ''} from ${stringify(get_file(path_to_routes, component))};`),
-		`import root${manifest_data.root.has_preload ? `, { preload as root_preload }` : ''} from ${stringify(get_file(path_to_routes, manifest_data.root))};`,
+			`import * as component_${i} from ${stringify(get_file(path_to_routes, component))};`),
+		`import * as root_comp from ${stringify(get_file(path_to_routes, manifest_data.root))};`,
 		`import error from ${stringify(get_file(path_to_routes, manifest_data.error))};`
 	);
 
@@ -211,8 +212,7 @@ function generate_server_manifest(
 							const props = [
 								`name: "${part.component.name}"`,
 								`file: ${stringify(part.component.file)}`,
-								`component: component_${component_lookup[part.component.name]}`,
-								part.component.has_preload && `preload: preload_${component_lookup[part.component.name]}`
+								`component: component_${component_lookup[part.component.name]}`
 							].filter(Boolean);
 
 							if (part.params.length > 0) {
@@ -226,8 +226,7 @@ function generate_server_manifest(
 				}`).join(',\n\n\t\t\t\t')}
 			],
 
-			root,
-			root_preload${manifest_data.root.has_preload ? '' : `: () => {}`},
+			root_comp,
 			error
 		};
 
diff --git a/src/core/create_manifest_data.ts b/src/core/create_manifest_data.ts
index b33e7a40c..3d720bd3b 100644
--- a/src/core/create_manifest_data.ts
+++ b/src/core/create_manifest_data.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 import * as fs from 'fs';
 import * as path from 'path';
-import svelte from 'svelte/compiler';
 import { Page, PageComponent, ServerRoute, ManifestData } from '../interfaces';
 import { posixify, reserved_words } from '../utils';
 
@@ -13,19 +12,6 @@ export default function create_manifest_data(cwd: string, extensions: string = '
 		throw new Error(`As of Sapper 0.21, the routes/ directory should become src/routes/`);
 	}
 
-	function has_preload(file: string) {
-		const source = fs.readFileSync(path.join(cwd, file), 'utf-8');
-
-		if (/preload/.test(source)) {
-			try {
-				const { vars } = svelte.compile(source.replace(/<style\b[^>]*>[^]*?<\/style>/g, ''), { generate: false });
-				return vars.some((variable: any) => variable.module && variable.export_name === 'preload');
-			} catch (err) {}
-		}
-
-		return false;
-	}
-
 	function find_layout(file_name: string, component_name: string, dir: string = '') {
 		const ext = component_extensions.find((ext) => fs.existsSync(path.join(cwd, dir, `${file_name}${ext}`)));
 		const file = posixify(path.join(dir, `${file_name}${ext}`))
@@ -33,8 +19,7 @@ export default function create_manifest_data(cwd: string, extensions: string = '
 		return ext
 			? {
 				name: component_name,
-				file: file,
-				has_preload: has_preload(file)
+				file: file
 			}
 			: null;
 	}
@@ -47,16 +32,14 @@ export default function create_manifest_data(cwd: string, extensions: string = '
 		default: true,
 		type: 'layout',
 		name: '_default_layout',
-		file: null,
-		has_preload: false
+		file: null
 	};
 
 	const default_error: PageComponent = {
 		default: true,
 		type: 'error',
 		name: '_default_error',
-		file: null,
-		has_preload: false
+		file: null
 	};
 
 	function walk(
@@ -161,8 +144,7 @@ export default function create_manifest_data(cwd: string, extensions: string = '
 			else if (item.is_page) {
 				const component = {
 					name: get_slug(item.file),
-					file: item.file,
-					has_preload: has_preload(item.file)
+					file: item.file
 				};
 
 				components.push(component);
diff --git a/src/interfaces.ts b/src/interfaces.ts
index f768100b8..942a0b80a 100644
--- a/src/interfaces.ts
+++ b/src/interfaces.ts
@@ -30,7 +30,6 @@ export type PageComponent = {
 	type?: string;
 	name: string;
 	file: string;
-	has_preload: boolean;
 };
 
 export type Page = {
diff --git a/test/unit/create_manifest_data/test.ts b/test/unit/create_manifest_data/test.ts
index 804a61be1..4e8d8f3af 100644
--- a/test/unit/create_manifest_data/test.ts
+++ b/test/unit/create_manifest_data/test.ts
@@ -6,10 +6,10 @@ describe('manifest_data', () => {
 	it('creates routes', () => {
 		const { components, pages, server_routes } = create_manifest_data(path.join(__dirname, 'samples/basic'));
 
-		const index = { name: 'index', file: 'index.html', has_preload: false };
-		const about = { name: 'about', file: 'about.html', has_preload: false };
-		const blog = { name: 'blog', file: 'blog/index.html', has_preload: false };
-		const blog_$slug = { name: 'blog_$slug', file: 'blog/[slug].html', has_preload: false };
+		const index = { name: 'index', file: 'index.html' };
+		const about = { name: 'about', file: 'about.html' };
+		const blog = { name: 'blog', file: 'blog/index.html' };
+		const blog_$slug = { name: 'blog_$slug', file: 'blog/[slug].html' };
 
 		assert.deepEqual(components, [
 			index,
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ describe('manifest_data', () => {
 		// had to remove ? and " because windows
 
 		// const quote = { name: '$34', file: '".html' };
-		const hash = { name: '$35', has_preload: false, file: '#.html' };
+		const hash = { name: '$35', file: '#.html' };
 		// const question_mark = { name: '$63', file: '?.html' };
 
 		assert.deepEqual(components, [
@@ -206,10 +206,10 @@ describe('manifest_data', () => {
 	it('works with custom extensions' , () => {
 		const { components, pages, server_routes } = create_manifest_data(path.join(__dirname, 'samples/custom-extension'), '.jazz .beebop .funk .html');
 
-		const index = { name: 'index', file: 'index.funk', has_preload: false };
-		const about = { name: 'about', file: 'about.jazz', has_preload: false };
-		const blog = { name: 'blog', file: 'blog/index.html', has_preload: false };
-		const blog_$slug = { name: 'blog_$slug', file: 'blog/[slug].beebop', has_preload: false };
+		const index = { name: 'index', file: 'index.funk' };
+		const about = { name: 'about', file: 'about.jazz' };
+		const blog = { name: 'blog', file: 'blog/index.html' };
+		const blog_$slug = { name: 'blog_$slug', file: 'blog/[slug].beebop' };
 
 		assert.deepEqual(components, [
 			index,