Catalyst Brands, the retail group whose portfolio includes JCPenney, Aeropostale, Brooks Brothers, Lucky Brand and Nautica, has announced a commercial partnership with humanoid robotics company Figure AI, beginning at the company's distribution logistics center in Reno, Nevada.
Humanoids on the sorting line
The companies aim to automate repetitive, physically demanding sorting and packing tasks so associates can shift to higher-skill functions. In the first phase, Figure's next-generation humanoids will assist workers with sequencing in the facility's Joey Pouch sorting system, a computerized induction, sorting and packing setup. The deployment builds on a $40 million infrastructure upgrade the Reno facility received in 2024, and the agreement is structured for quick scalability to match business growth and seasonal demand.
A standardized labor solution
"As we invest in and scale our portfolio, this collaboration with Figure shows how emerging technologies can modernize our operations while strengthening our workforce," said Marc Rosen, CEO of Catalyst Brands. Figure founder and CEO Brett Adcock framed the deal as a template for holding companies: "As Catalyst Brands scales its multi-brand portfolio, our humanoids provide a standardized labor solution that can be deployed across diverse industries instantly." The companies plan to identify the best use cases for humanoid automation before rolling it out more broadly.
Part of a humanoid deployment wave
The agreement is the first between Figure and a portfolio company of Brookfield, a global investment firm with positions in both Figure and Catalyst. It adds to a fast-growing list of real-world humanoid deployments, following Hyundai's plan to deploy tens of thousands of Atlas robots and factory deployment deals from other humanoid makers. Service-sector pilots such as Japan Airlines' airport humanoids and warehouse automation efforts like Maersk's autonomous mobile robot rollout show how quickly logistics is becoming a proving ground for the technology.
Why it matters
For Figure, partnering with an ambitious multi-brand retailer offers a path to deploy humanoids across varied environments at scale. For Catalyst Brands, the move is positioned as a way to reduce physical strain, manage seasonality and create new career pathways while modernizing its supply chain.
Reporting based on coverage from the Catalyst Brands and JCPenney newsroom.