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

JCPenney and SPARC Group today announced that they have combined to form a new organization, Catalyst Brands, creating an unmatched portfolio of six iconic retail banners that celebrate the essence of American style.

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.

Department store chain JCPenney has merged with Sparc Group LLC to create a new firm that includes Seattle-based Eddie Bauer and other well-known retail brands.

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JCPenney filed for bankruptcy protection in 2020 and was acquired by Simon Property and Brookfield Asset Management for $800 million.

The longtime local retailer and Sparc Group announced they have combined to form Catalyst Brands and will cover several brands: Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica with JCPenney and its exclusive private brands, including Stafford, Arizona and Liz Claiborne.

JCPenney is merging with a company that owns several other retailers that have also struggled as malls have declined in popularity across the U.S. The 123-year-old department store chain and SPARC Group have combined to form Catalyst Brands,

JCPenney announced Thursday the company merged with SPARC Group, to form a larger retail organization called Catalyst Brands.