victorias secret

How it began

Victoria's Secret was started in San Francisco, California, in 1977 by Roy Raymond, who felt embarrassed trying to purchase lingerie for his wife in a department store environment. The stores were meant to create a comfortable environment for men, with wood-paneled walls, Victorian details and helpful sales staff. Men could browse for styles for women and sales staff would help estimate the appropriate size, pulling from inventory in the back rooms. In 1982, after five years of operations, Roy Raymond sold the company to The Limited. Raymond's next business venture ended in bankruptcy. Raymond killed himself by jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco in 1993.
Victoria's Secret was rapidly expanded into the U.S. malls throughout the 1980s. The company was able to vend a widened range of products, such as shoes, evening wear, and perfumes, with its mail catalog issued eight times annually.
Beginning in 1995, Victoria's Secret began holding the annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. The show attracts hundreds of celebrities and entertainers, with special performers and/or acts every year.
On July 10, 2007, Limited Brands sold 75% of The Limited clothing chain to firm Sun Capital Partners to focus and boost sales growth on Victoria's Secret lingerie stores and Bath &amp;amp;amp; Body Works units, which provided 72% of revenue in 2006 and almost all the firm's profit. There are 1,000 Victoria's Secret lingerie stores and 100 independent Victoria's Secret Beauty Stores in the US, mostly in shopping centers.