Dive Brief:
- J.C. Penney and Aéropostale are connecting their respective loyalty rewards programs to form the J.C. Penney x Aéropostale Rewards Access program, according to a Monday press release.
- This marks the first time Aéropostale has had its own loyalty program. Now, when customers spend money at J.C. Penney or Aéropostale online, in-store or via their mobile apps, they can redeem those points for future purchases at both companies.
- Shoppers who sign up for the joint program will receive $10 CashPass rewards from J.C. Penney or $5 from Aéropostale, then earn $10 in CashPass for every 200 points they earn. J.C. Penney is also offering higher status and faster point accrual to its credit cardholders, according to the announcement.
Dive Insight:
Aéropostale and J.C. Penney — both part of the Catalyst Brands portfolio, which formed in January 2025 — are partnering once more to cross-pollinate their customer bases.
During its back-to-school campaign last year, J.C. Penney introduced products from Aéropostale, Hurley and Volcom to its assortment. The retailer is once again teasing an Aéropostale collection, this time for college living. Other brands within the Catalyst portfolio include Nautica, Lucky Brand and Brooks Brothers.
“By connecting these two brands, we’ve created a single ecosystem where shoppers can maximize their dollars,” Marisa Thalberg, chief customer and marketing officer at Catalyst Brands, said in a press release. “Whether you’re shopping for the latest styles at Aéropostale or grabbing great fashion and beauty favorites at J.C. Penney, you’ll earn rewards on the entire experience. It’s the kind of convenience and value that makes Catalyst Brands work.”
This isn’t the first time retailers have looked to combine their loyalty programs. Dick’s Sporting Goods and Nike in 2021 debuted a joint loyalty experience that would let shoppers access Nike’s loyalty program within the Dick’s mobile app. Nike has offered a similar joint loyalty experience through other wholesale partners, including JD Sports and Hibbett. Ulta and Target also offered a joint loyalty experience for shoppers of the Ulta at Target shop-in-shops, though that partnership is set to end in August.
J.C. Penney is teaming up with Aéropostale following a rough holiday quarter for the department store. Its fourth-quarter net sales declined 8% from the year prior to $1.9 billion, according to financial filings released earlier this year. Meanwhile, net loss surged 77% to $113 million.
To ameliorate some of J.C. Penney’s financial woes, the department store tried to hand off 119 of its stores to private equity firm Onyx Partners for $947 million, but the deal fell apart late last year.
