J.C. Penney and Sparc Group announced on Wednesday a new joint venture that combines their retail expertise and portfolios into one organization. 

Dubbed ‘Catalyst Brands’, the organization brings together six banners including J.C. Penney, Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand, and Nautica. It launches with over $9 billion in revenue, 60,000 employees, and $1 billion in liquidity.

Catalyst Brands will leverage its combined strengths in product design, sourcing, and advanced data analytics to enhance supply chain operations, improve inventory management, and deepen customer relationships. 

At the helm of Catalyst Brands is Marc Rosen, the former CEO of J.C. Penney, who will serve as CEO of the new organization. Reporting to Rosen are three brand CEOs including Michelle Wlazlo, leading J.C. Penney; Natalie Levy, overseeing Aéropostale, Lucky Brand, and Nautica; and Ken Ohashi, managing Brooks Brothers and Eddie Bauer.

“Catalyst Brands brings together the rich heritage of six unique brands with modern energy and a new vision for success. The word ‘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 customers across America,” Rosen said. 

“For us, customers are at the heart of what we do. We have a shared belief that customers deserve fashion and style of great quality for any and every moment in life. We will leverage our resources and best-in-class industry talent to grow our brands further.”

The joint venture, formed in an all-equity transaction, is backed by shareholders Simon Property Group, Brookfield Corporation, Authentic Brands Group, and Shein, further solidifying its financial and operational strength.

“Our relationships with more than 60 million customers and the deep data we have create a compelling consumer value proposition across our brands. We can design a more personalized shopping experience, offer unified loyalty and credit card programs, and ultimately, cross-sell more effectively. That’s one example of the many benefits we’ll see in this combination,” added Rosen. “With a clean balance sheet, we’re in great position to move forward.”

Coinciding with the announcement, Catalyst Brands said is has sold the U.S. operations of Reebok and is exploring strategic options for the operations of Forever 21.