Brooks Brothers has a new corporate parent. On 8 January 2025, JCPenney and Sparc Group announced that they had combined in an all-equity deal to form Catalyst Brands, a retail group headquartered in Plano, Texas. Sparc brought five brands into the new company: Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica. JCPenney brought its department stores and private labels, including Stafford, Arizona and Liz Claiborne.
Catalyst Brands launched with more than $9 billion in revenue, about 1,800 stores, about 60,000 employees and $1 billion in liquidity, according to the JCPenney announcement. Its shareholders are Simon Property Group, Brookfield Corporation, Authentic Brands Group and Shein. The companies did not publish the size of each holding.
Who runs Brooks Brothers now
Marc Rosen, previously chief executive of JCPenney, leads Catalyst Brands. Ken Ohashi, who has run Brooks Brothers since 2020, continues as its brand chief executive and also takes on Eddie Bauer. Michelle Wlazlo becomes brand CEO of JCPenney, Natalie Levy leads Aéropostale, Lucky Brand and Nautica, and Kevin Harper, formerly of Walmart, joins as chief operating officer. Marisa Thalberg becomes chief customer and marketing officer for the group.
“Together, we bring scale, expertise and broad appeal to customers across America”
Marc Rosen, chief executive, Catalyst Brands
As part of the deal, the group said it had sold the US operations of Reebok and was evaluating options for Forever 21.
How Brooks Brothers got here
Brooks Brothers was founded in 1818 with a single store on Catherine and Cherry Streets in Manhattan. After a Chapter 11 filing in 2020, it was acquired that year by Authentic Brands Group and Simon Property Group and was then run as part of Sparc Group.
Ohashi, a former accountant who previously ran international retail for Authentic Brands, was named president of Brooks Brothers in September 2020 and added the chief executive title in early 2021.
What it means for Brooks Brothers customers
The merger places a heritage tailoring brand alongside casual and mall labels in one large group. Catalyst executives have since said that each brand keeps its own strategy. Speaking to Retail Dive in March 2026, Thalberg said the group's view was that Brooks Brothers should remain distinct within the portfolio, and Ohashi told FashionUnited in September 2026 that the brand keeps a great deal of autonomy.
For people who buy Brooks Brothers suits and shirts, the immediate change was at group level: the brand kept its own chief executive, and its design work has continued under creative director Michael Bastian. Since the merger, Brooks Brothers has opened a new New York flagship in the Financial District and returned to New York Fashion Week. For a sense of where the brand sits among American makers, see our guide to English, Italian and American tailoring.
