L Brands, Inc.’s Board of Directors has unanimously approved a plan to separate the company into two independent, public companies: Bath & Body Works, one of the world’s leading bath, body and home fragrance retailers, and Victoria’s Secret, including Victoria’s Secret Lingerie, PINK and Victoria’s Secret Beauty, a leading retailer of intimates and beauty products. The company expects to create these companies through a tax-free spin-off of Victoria’s Secret to L Brands’ shareholders. The spin-off will enable each company to maximize management focus and financial flexibility to thrive in an evolving retail environment and deliver profitable growth.
Ultimately, the Board concluded that the spin-off of Victoria’s Secret into a separate, public company would provide shareholders with more value than a sale. The benefits of separating these two businesses include distinct strategic and management focus on specific operational and growth priorities and tailored capital deployment strategies based on each company’s operating and financial model, and the ability for the investment community to value each business independently and create significant value and certainty for our customers, employees and shareholders.
