Founded by Roy Raymond and his wife Gaye in 1977 (who sold it to Leslie Wexner of L Brands in 1982), Victoria’s Secret is an American retailer specialising in women’s lingerie, apparel and beauty and it is now the largest American retailer of women’s lingerie, The company has three more brands: PINK, a lingerie line targeted at younger women launched in 2002, Victoria Sport, an activewear line. and Victoria’s Secret Beauty, which is the company’s beauty line.
Victoria’s Secret became known for its fashion show, launched in 1995 and broadcasted on primetime American TV, however last year (2019) the show was cancelled as the brand began to fall out of favour in the post-#METOO era for its over-sexualised image of women.
It has also struggled to compete with upstart brands in the market which present a more inclusive approach and position themselves as body positive. Reports in early 2020 suggest that L Brands (an umbrella company set up by Wexner) was in talks with the billionaire, who is understood to own around a 13% stake in Victoria's Secret, about him standing aside and a possible sale of the business.
In the UK, the business operates around 25 stores and its flagship is on London's Bond Street.
