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We visited Victoria's Secret stores in the US and the UK, and found an uneven, sprawling product selection as the lingerie brand struggles to transformhttps://www.businessinsider.in/retail/news/we-visited-victoriaaposs-secret-stores-in-the-us-and-the-uk-and-found-an-uneven-sprawling-product-selection-as-the-lingerie-brand-struggles-to-transform/slidelist/90340268.cms2022-03-20T23:23:43+05:30

We visited Victoria's Secret stores in the US and the UK, and found an uneven, sprawling product selection as the lingerie brand struggles to transform

Grace Dean,Áine CainMar 20, 2022, 23:23 IST

Áine Cain/Insider

Victoria's Secret is a global beauty and lingerie brand that operates around 1,400 stores globally.
The company has struggled to adapt to shifting beauty standards and changing consumer demands.

Victoria's Secret is a global beauty and lingerie brand that's long been synonymous with its now defunct "Angels" and extravagant fashion shows.

The brand first came on the scene in 1977 and later became a staple in shopping malls. However in recent years, owing to internal struggles and changing beauty standards, the company has experienced a number of difficulties as its tried to shed its overtly sexy image.

In 2020, the company shuttered 250 stores in the United States and Canada. A year later, Victoria's Secret's former parent company L Brands spun off the retailer. The newly-independent company now says it operates around 1,400 locations worldwide.

Currently, the company is pushing to change its image to a more relaxed, accessible, and inclusive style. But not every location has made the shift yet.

Insider recently visited two Victoria's Secret stores to check-in on the transformation. We visited a shop in the United Kingdom and a location in the United States. Here's what we saw:

The Victoria's Secret in the UK that we visited was located in a city-center shopping mall in Leeds, northern England.

The Victoria's Secret store was easy to spot thanks to its signature bright pink exterior.

There were a couple of small displays showing some of its products, but most of the wall space was taken up by the pink wall, and the displays didn't seem as festive compared to the other stores in the mall.

The central display focused on what Victoria's Secret is most famous for — lingerie.

The interior was very dark, with a lot of black furniture and dim lights.

The inside of the store seemed very carefully curated, like these digital screens on either side of the entrance, with the company's perfumes displayed underneath.

Sections of the store were dedicated to sleepwear ...

... and perfume and beauty products ...

... though it mainly showcased Victoria's Secret's lingerie.

There was an area dedicated to Victoria's Secret's more sexy lingerie, too.

Not all the items were so sexy, though.

Under each display were rows of drawers ...

... which store products, sorted by size.

A lot of the drawers seemed mostly empty, though ...

... like this paltry offering.

Most of the store looked tidy, and staff on the store floor kept neatening up the stock ...

... though a couple of the displays needed some work.

One of the focal displays was dedicated to the brand's perfumes ...

Perfumes sit on a table at a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds, northern England.Grace Dean/Insider

... though other fragrance products were randomly dotted around the store, too.

A couple of areas at the back of the store deviated from its dark color scheme and were instead bright pink.

There was a huge screen at the very far end of the store, too ...

... that played videos showcasing the brand's products.

A large screen playing videos of models in a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds, northern England.Grace Dean/Insider

Signs dotted throughout the store advertised bra fittings.

At one side of the store, next to a display of underwear ...

... there was an opening into the Victoria's Secret Pink store next door.

The Pink store had a separate external entrance, too.

The store was much more brightly lit, and its displays seemed tailored to younger shoppers. A lot of the customers appeared to be teens.

The displays were incredibly neat and colorful ...

... and the drawers largely seemed much better stocked than in the Victoria's Secret next door.

Though most of the store contained clothes and gym gear.

There were QR codes you could scan to book a bra fitting ...

... as well as signs encouraging you to order online if you couldn't find what you wanted in store.

We also swung by a Victoria's Secret store located in a mall in Indianapolis, Indiana. Compared with the Leeds location, its entrance was a bit less flashy.

In the United States, Victoria's Secret is, of course, best known for its lingerie products.

The store seemed to be divided into several distinct sections, including basic, everyday underwear ...

... perfumes , makeup, and toiletries ...

... and, of course, lingerie for special occasions.

The store was well-lit with meticulously-organized displays and attended staff, on hand to answer questions and take bra measurements.

We were struck by all the various displays touting different perfumes and fragrant lotions.

The air in the store was filled with sweet smells from those aromatic products, although we'll note that stores like this can be tricky for anyone susceptible to migraines.

Most of those displays seemed to offer pretty pricey options, something you'd buy as a gift for a special occasion rather than an everyday purchase.

In general, the store was laid out like a fancy, highly feminine destination. That could be viewed as aspirational by prospective customers.

But it could also be a little intimidating for anyone looking to buy a regular bra or extra underwear.

Although the store did offer plenty of casual options ...

... and even pajama products that trended more towards "cozy" than outright "sexy."

Like in the Leeds store, the shop was filled with drawers, each containing panties, bras, and other products sorted by size.

But special offerings or new, seasonal lines seemed to each receive their own display.

Many of the items we looked at had prices up-front and clearly labeled, unlike the displays in the UK store.

The Indianapolis shop was by and large a clean, well-organized store that lent itself to a positive shopping experience for the customer.

All in all, it will be interesting to watch Victoria's Secret pivot its brand in the coming years, as the company attempts to bounce back by selling a more inclusive vision.

Bras and panties hung up on the wall of a Victoria's Secret in Indianapolis, Indiana.Áine Cain/Insider

Source: Insider

All in all, it will be interesting to watch Victoria's Secret pivot its brand in the coming years, as the company attempts to bounce back by selling a more inclusive vision.

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