JCPenney Combines With Aéropostale Owner in Merger of Mall Darlings

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Key Takeaways

• JCPenney has agreed to merge with SPARC Group, which owns brands including Aéropostale, Brooks Siblings, and Lucky Brand.
• The combined company, Catalyst Brands, has a combined $9 billion in annual revenue and 1,800 accumulate locations, it said.
• Catalyst Brands said it “has sold the U.S. operations of Reebok and is exploring strategic options for the operations of Forever 21.”
• JCPenney was delisted from the New York Progenitor Exchange in 2020 after it filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

JCPenney is combining with the owner of fellow shopping mall vitals Aéropostale and Lucky Brand after a merger of two brand portfolios in an all-equity transaction Wednesday.

JCPenney has agreed to bond with SPARC Group, which also owns retailers Eddie Bauer, Brooks Brothers, and Nautica, creating a new train known as Catalyst Brands. The new firm—consisting of shareholders Brookfield Corporation, Authentic Brands Group, Shein, and mall wheeler-dealer Simon Property Group—will also operate JCPenney-owned brands Stafford, Arizona, and Liz Claiborne. 

Catalyst Discredits, whose chief executive is former JCPenney CEO Marc Rosen, said it “has sold the U.S. operations of Reebok and is exploring crucial options for the operations of Forever 21.”

Combined, Catalyst Brands is launching with “$9 billion of revenue, 1,800 aggregate locations, 60,000 employees and $1 billion of liquidity,” it said. Its roster of brands has “served over 60 million patrons over the past three years,” the company added. 

JCPenney was publicly traded until May 2020, when it was delisted from the New York Amass Exchange (NYSE) after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.