Catalyst Brands brings together SPARC Group’s brands Aeropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica with JCPenney and its exclusive private brands, including Stafford, Arizona and Liz Claiborne. Catalyst Brands, which has served more than 60 million customers in the last three years, has a wide consumer reach through a strong distribution network of owned stores, e-commerce sites and wholesale partners.
JCPenney and SPARC Group have formed Catalyst Brands by combining iconic retail banners such as Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer and JCPenney’s private brands. With revenues of over $9 billion, 1,800 store locations and 60,000 employees, the Catalyst Brands organization aims to drive innovation and growth across diverse customer segments.
Catalyst Brands launches with over $9 billion in revenues, 1,800 store locations, 60,000 employees and $1 billion in liquidity and is poised to generate significant strategic and operational value. The combined Catalyst Brands organization is a joint venture formed between JCPenney and SPARC Group in an all-equity transaction with shareholders Simon Property Group, Brookfield Corporation, Authentic Brands Group and Shein.
Additionally, Catalyst Brands has sold Reebok’s U.S. operations and is exploring strategic alternatives for Forever 21’s operations, the company said in a press release.
Mark Rosen, previously chief executive officer of JCPenney, has become CEO of Catalyst Brands. There are three brand CEOs who will oversee the portfolio and report to Rosen. Michelle Vlaszlo, previously JCPenney’s chief merchandising and supply chain officer, has been promoted to brand CEO of JCPenney. Natalie Levy continues her role as Brand CEO of Aeropostale, Lucky Brand and Nautica and Ken Ohashi will continue to lead Brooks Brothers and takes over the responsibilities of Eddie Bauer in his new role as Brand CEO of both brands . Kevin Harper, previously an executive at Walmart, will join Catalyst Brands as chief operating officer. Marisa Thalberg, previously JCPenney’s consulting chief marketing and brand officer, has become chief customer and marketing officer of Catalyst Brands. Additional leadership appointments can be found here.
“Catalyst Brands brings together the rich heritage of six unique brands with modern energy and a new vision for success. The term ‘Catalyst’ reflects our drive to accelerate innovation and energy and amplify the impact of this powerhouse portfolio. “Together, we bring scale, expertise and broad appeal to clients across the U.S.,” Rosen said. “For us, clients are at the center of everything we do. Our shared belief is that customers deserve the finest quality fashion and style for any and every moment of life. We will leverage our resources and best-in-class industry talent to further grow our brands.”
With offerings that include business and formal fashion from Brooks Brothers, casual apparel for teens and young adults from Aeropostale, outdoor recreation clothing and gear from Eddie Bauer, everyday style for every family from JCPenney and more, Catalyst Brands have a wide reach across markets and customer segments. The release said Catalyst Brands will integrate complementary strengths, including strong product design and sourcing capabilities, deep supplier relationships and increased use of data-driven and AI technology, to enhance its supply chain and inventory management capabilities and deepen consumer relationships. Will do.
“Our relationships with over 60 million customers and the deep data we have create a compelling consumer value proposition across our brands. We can design more personalized shopping experiences, offer integrated loyalty and credit card programs and, ultimately, cross-sell more effectively. This is an example of the many benefits we will see in this combination,” Rosen continued. “With a clean balance sheet, we are excellently positioned to move forward.”
Catalyst Brands is headquartered at JCPenney’s current corporate location in Plano, Texas and has offices in New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (RR)
