Who owns Brooks Brothers?
Fact-checked 2026-09-07 · every claim links to its source below
What Brooks Brothers says
- In August 2020 Brooks Brothers, in Chapter 11, sought approval to sell to Authentic Brands Group and SPARC Group for $325 million, raised from a lower opening bid; SPARC was an ABG and Simon Property Group partnership, and the buyer agreed to keep operating at least 125 Brooks Brothers stores.1
- On January 8, 2025 SPARC Group merged with JCPenney to form Catalyst Brands, placing Brooks Brothers alongside JCPenney, Aéropostale, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica, plus JCPenney private brands Stafford, Arizona and Liz Claiborne.34
- Catalyst Brands launched with more than $9 billion of revenue, 1,800 store locations, 60,000 employees and $1 billion of liquidity, formed as an all-equity joint venture backed by Simon Property Group, Brookfield Corporation, Authentic Brands Group and Shein.3
- Marc Rosen, formerly JCPenney CEO, is CEO of Catalyst Brands; Ken Ohashi continues as Brand CEO of Brooks Brothers and now also Eddie Bauer.3
What buyers and reviewers report
- The 2020 sale was finalized in September 2020 after Brooks Brothers entered its purchase agreement with SPARC.2
- Catalyst has since sold the U.S. Reebok operations and explored options for Forever 21.5
- Authentic Brands Group also acquired Ted Baker, for around £211 million (about $255 million) in cash, so Brooks Brothers and Ted Baker share a trademark owner while being run by entirely separate operating companies.6
- Simon Property Group and Brookfield, two mall landlords behind Catalyst Brands, are also equity holders in Phoenix Retail, the operator of Bonobos and Express, so Brooks Brothers and Bonobos share two of their equity owners.37
What it means for you
- Brooks Brothers and Ted Baker share a brand owner (Authentic Brands Group) but not an operator; no official page asserts any shared gift cards, returns or loyalty, so none should be assumed.36
- Brooks Brothers, JCPenney, Aéropostale, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand and Nautica are run by the same operating company, Catalyst Brands; cross-brand return, gift-card and loyalty policies were not verified for this page.34
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Questions people ask
Is Brooks Brothers owned by JCPenney?
They are sister brands. SPARC Group, which operated Brooks Brothers, merged with JCPenney on January 8, 2025 to form Catalyst Brands, which now operates both 34.
Does Authentic Brands Group own Brooks Brothers?
ABG bought the brand with SPARC Group for $325 million in 2020 and holds the trademark side; ABG is also one of the four shareholders of Catalyst Brands, which operates the stores 13.
Is Brooks Brothers owned by Shein?
Shein is one of four shareholders in Catalyst Brands, alongside Simon Property Group, Brookfield Corporation and Authentic Brands Group 3. It is a co-owner of the operator, not the sole owner.
Are Brooks Brothers and Ted Baker the same company?
Same brand owner, separate operations. Authentic Brands Group owns both trademarks 16; Brooks Brothers is run by Catalyst Brands and Ted Baker by separate licensees 36.
Who runs Brooks Brothers day to day?
Ken Ohashi is Brand CEO of Brooks Brothers, reporting into Catalyst Brands under CEO Marc Rosen 3.
Sources
What Brooks Brothers publishes
- Brooks Brothers to seek approval of sale to Authentic Brands Group and SPARC Group for $325 million — Business Wire, 2020-08-11official
- SPARC Group has merged with JCPenney to form Catalyst Brands — JCPenney corporate newsroom, 2025-01-08official
- SPARC Group has merged with JCPenney to form Catalyst Brands — Catalyst Brands, 2025-01-08official
What buyers and the press report
- Brooks Brothers enters purchase deal with retailer SPARC — CNBC, 2020-08-12press
- JCPenney merges with SPARC Group to form Catalyst Brands: what it means for US retail — Coresight Research, 2026-09-07press
- Reebok owner Authentic Brands Group acquires Ted Baker — Retail Dive, 2026-09-07press
- Three mall landlords, WHP acquire Express out of Chapter 11 for $174 million — CoStar, 2026-09-07press
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