14. Limited Brands
Columbus, Ohio
www.limitedbrands.com

Corporate Sales: $10.4 billion

Beauty Sales: $2.9 billion (estimated; home fragrance and personal care)

Key Personnel: Leslie H. Wexner, chairman and chief executive officer; Martyn R. Redgrave, executive vice president and chief administrative officer; Sharen Jester Turney, chief executive officer, Victoria’s Secret; Susie Coulter, president of Victoria’s Secret Beauty; Beauty Nicholas Coe, president and CEO of Bath & Body Works.

Major Products: Bath and body products, fragrance, shower gels, body wash, antibacterial soaps, aromatherapy, candles and makeup sold under brands including Bath & Body Works, Signature Collection, Aromatherapy, True Blue Spa, C.O. Bigelow, Victoria’s Secret and Victoria’s Secret Pink. The Limited also owns La Senza Canada and Henri Bendel stores.

New Products: Victoria’s Secret Angel fragrance, True Blue Spa After Sun Moisturizer, Signature Collection Paris Amour, Signature Collection Cashmere Glow, C.O Bigelow Black Pepper Men’s, Pink Fun & Fearless Body Mist, Victoria’s Secret Pro makeup, Bath & Body Works Signature Collection for Men Classic.

Victoria’s Secret Angel took home two FiFi Awards this year.

Comments: Chairman and CEO Leslie H. Wexner proclaimed that 2011 was a year of record performance for Limited Brands, with all stores proving profitable and a comparable store sales increase of 10%. Corporate net sales increased $751 million (8%) to $10.4 billion. Victoria’s Secret net sales increased $601 million (11%) to $6.12 billion and comparable store sales increased 14%. Bath & Body Works (B&BW) net sales increased $159 million to $2.7 billion and comparable store sales increased 6%. The company gave partial credit to innovative new fragrance launches at Bath & Body Works.

Last year, the company closed some under-performing stores in the U.S. and increased the number in Canada. It also nearly doubled the number of doors of its prestige retailer, Henri Bendel, from 11 to 19, with plans for an additional 10 in 2012. In all, retail stores now total nearly 3,000 (VS U.S., 1,017; BBW U.S., 1,587; La Senza Canada, 230; BBW Canada, 69; VS Canada, 19).

The company continued its expansion outside of the U.S., with its franchise partners opening 40 additional Victoria’s Secret Beauty and Accessories stores bringing the total to 57. An additional 75 are in the works for 2012. A dozen Bath & Body Works stores opened in the Middle East in 2011 bringing the total to 18, with plans for about 32 to be added in 2012. The Limited also plans to open three more Bath & Body Works stores in Canada in 2012.

Innovative packaging continues to play a role in sales success. At the 2012 FiFi Awards, Victoria’s Secret Beauty’s Angel scent took home two awards: Broad Appeal Women and Consumer’s Choice. Meanwhile, B&BW walked away with the Consumer’s Choice award in the men’s category for Bath & Body Works Signature Collection for Men Classic.

Nicholas Coe was elected president and CEO of Bath & Body Works in August 2011.Just this month, Susie Coulter, a former executive at Ralph Lauren, was named president of Victoria’s Secret Beauty.

In August, Limited Brands’ growth had slowed slightly from last year. The company reported a comparable store sales increase of 8% for the 30 weeks ended August 25, 2012, compared to the 30 weeks ended August 27, 2011. Net sales of $5.2 billion for the period compared to $5.4 billion for the same stretch last year.