Les Wexner founded and built a retail empire starting with a single store in Columbus, Ohio, in 1963, growing it into L Brands (now Bath & Body Works, Inc.), a global powerhouse in lingerie, beauty, and personal care products.

Core Companies

Les Wexner's flagship ventures centered on specialty retail for women and home products. Key brands under L Brands included:

Brand| Focus| Notable Details
---|---|---
Victoria's Secret| Lingerie & Beauty| Acquired for $1M in 1982; grew into a global leader with Pink sub-brand for teens.13
Bath & Body Works| Fragrances & Bath Products| Launched 1990; now over 1,600 stores worldwide, using data analytics for 30% sales boosts.37
La Senza| Lingerie| Canadian chain integrated into the portfolio.15
Henri Bendel| Luxury Accessories| Part of the conglomerate before some divestitures.3
White Barn Candle Co.| Home Fragrances| Specialized candle line under Bath & Body Works umbrella.5

He spun off others like Abercrombie & Fitch, Express, and Lane Bryant over decades, focusing on scalable, replicable store models—like napkin-sketch plans to expand from one Ohio location to nationwide chains.

Evolution & Spinoffs

Wexner's strategy leveraged "purpose-driven" growth: spotting trends in young women's preferences, using leverage (one successful store became two, then eight), and data for merchandising. L Brands hit $12B+ annual sales with 80,000+ associates by the 2010s. Post-2021 spinoff, Bath & Body Works stands alone, while Victoria's Secret operates independently amid sales talks (e.g., Wexner reportedly eyed stepping aside around 2020 at age 82).

Recent Ventures

In a pivot from retail, Wexner tapped AI in 2025, reportedly earning $2B in three months via early investment in CoreWeave, an AI infrastructure giant—highlighting his shift from malls to tech amid retail's evolution.

Legacy Snapshot

From $160K first-year sales to billionaire status, Wexner's story is one of intuitive scaling: scribbling expansion ideas, buying undervalued assets like Victoria's Secret, and adapting to trends like bralettes and sports bras. Philanthropy via the Wexner Foundation ties back to Columbus roots. Speculation on forums notes his low-profile life post-Epstein ties, but business wins endure.

TL;DR : Wexner's companies pivoted from The Limited era to L Brands icons like Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works (spun off 2021); latest buzz is his AI windfall.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.