Catalyst Brands combines SPARC Group's Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand, and Nautica with

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Sparc Group, the parent company of Forever 21 and Aéropostale, announced it merged with JCPenney to create a new company called Catalyst Brands.

The department store chain is teaming up with the Sparc Group in an all-equity merger to form Catalyst Brands, the Wall Street Journal reported. The company will be led by Marc Rosen, who most recently served as the chief executive officer of JCPenney. It will be based in Plano, Texas, where JCPenney is headquartered.

JCPenney and SPARC Group, which holds a portfolio of brands including Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica, have formed a joint venture in an all-equity transaction to create Catalyst Brands. The new company launches with more than $9 billion in revenue, 1,800 store locations and 60,000 employees.