Add Eddie Bauer to the list of companies preparing to exit the brick-and-mortar business.
Sources said the outdoor specialty store chain is prepping a Chapter 11 filing to shutter its approximately 200 North American stores. The Eddie Bauer store operations are owned by Catalyst Brands under license from brand owner Authentic Brands Group.
That would mean that the larger Catalyst Brands company would not be impacted.
Catalyst Brands was formed last year by Simon Property Group, Brookfield Corp., Authentic Brands Group and Shein and consists of Lucky Brand, Aéropostale, Nautica, Brooks Brothers and JCPenney, as well as Eddie Bauer.
A bankruptcy filing would not impact the company’s manufacturing, e-commerce and wholesale operations in the U.S. and Canada, which is in the midst of transitioning from Catalyst to a new licensee.
Beginning Monday, Eddie Bauer will move its e-commerce, wholesale, design and product development to Outdoor 5, a global brand development and licensing platform. That deal was announced on Jan. 8. The bankruptcy filing is expected to happen once that has been completed, or later in the month.
A Chapter 11 filing would also not impact the 20 or so Eddie Bauer stores operating in Japan.
Jarrod Weber, global president, sports & lifestyle at Authentic, which owns the Eddie Bauer brand and its intellectual property globally, said at the time of the Outdoor 5 announcement: “Our relationship with [Outdoor 5] has been built on trust, shared vision, and operational excellence. This next chapter aligns Eddie Bauer with a partner with expertise in the outdoor space, while allowing Catalyst to focus on its successful lifestyle portfolio. Together, we’re setting the brand up for long-term, sustainable growth.”
At the time Catalyst was formed in January 2025, Ken Ohashi, chief executive officer of Brooks Brothers, also assumed the CEO post at Eddie Bauer.
Authentic and SPARC acquired the Eddie Bauer brand in May 2021 for an undisclosed sum from the PSEB Group, an operating group owned by Golden Gate Capital. The company, which at the time of the sale had estimated sales of $500 million and employed around 1,000 people, competes with outdoor brands such as L.L. Bean, REI, Patagonia and others.
Eddie Bauer is considered a heritage brand in the outdoor industry. Its history dates back more than a century, and its founder, Eddie Bauer, is credited with having developed the first quilted down jacket via a 1940 patent. A Pacific Northwest sportsman, he started the brand in 1920 by selling tennis wear in Seattle. PSEB first linked up with Eddie Bauer in 2009.
The company changed hands several times over the years after its founder sold it in 1968. General Mills and Spiegel owned it at different points in time. Under the Spiegel Inc. umbrella, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Delaware in 2009 and was later purchased by Golden Gate Capital for $286 million. The Eddie Bauer name has been used to license a range of products including furniture, bicycles and Ford Motor Co.’s Bronco, Explorer and other SUVs.
When Catalyst was created, it had more than $9 billion in sales, operated 1,800 stores and had $1 billion of liquidity.
Neither Catalyst Brands nor Authentic Brands Group could be reached for comment.
