Catalyst Brands

Catalyst Brands is a US retail conglomerate formed in 2025 through the merger of JCPenney and SPARC Group's brand portfolio (which included Aéropostale, Brooks Brothers, Eddie Bauer, Lucky Brand, Nautica, and others). The company has been publicly named as a commercial deployment partner for Figure ai, alongside the more extensively documented BMW Spartanburg pilot. On May 26, 2026, Figure AI and Catalyst Brands announced a commercial agreement to deploy Figure 03 humanoid robots across the retailer's distribution and logistics network, beginning at the Reno, Nevada Distribution Logistics Center. The relationship is part of Figure AI's expansion beyond automotive manufacturing into retail logistics and distribution.

Catalyst Brands' editorial significance is as the first retail-sector deployment partner publicly named by Figure AI. Where Figure's primary commercial validation has come through automotive manufacturing (BMW Spartanburg), the Catalyst Brands relationship signals Figure's expansion into retail-distribution logistics, a different operational context with different task profiles than automotive assembly lines. This is similar to how Agility's GXO deployment validates contract logistics rather than automotive; Figure's Catalyst Brands relationship represents the equivalent retail-side validation.

Documented Reno deployment: the May 26, 2026 commercial agreement covers Figure 03 deployment across the retailer's distribution and logistics network, beginning at the Reno, Nevada Distribution Logistics Center. Initial deployment phase covers Joey Pouch sorting system sequencing (a computerized induction, sorting, and packing system). The Reno facility underwent a $40 million infrastructure update in 2024. Catalyst Brands CEO Marc Rosen and Figure CEO Brett Adcock are the named principals on the agreement.