Just Too Darn Sexy

No we’re not talking the Retail Contrarians, who aren’t too darn sexy for middle-age pudgy white guys, but rather that’s what Victoria’s Secret chief executive admitted on today’s analysis call.

CEO Sharen Turney said that the chain had become too sexy and had gotten away from its heritage of being “ultra-feminine”. Her goal she said is to bring more-sophisticated, higher-quality products back to Victoria's Secret stores.

That’s code words for profits and attracting older more affluent women. On Wednesday Limited Brands reported a 12% decline in net income for its fiscal fourth quarter, and comp sales at Victoria's Secret were off 8%. While Victoria’s Secret has been quite successful attracting younger women with their Pink and other lines geared towards that customer segment, it has been at the expense of the older more affluent woman.

The Retail Contrarians are the first to say that older woman are indeed sexy, it’s just they would like to shop in an environment that tells them that maybe they're too old to be so. I look forward to seeing the changes Ms. Turney makes. Call us if you need us!