Bath & Body Works

Bath & Body Works is a North American specialty retailer focused on fragrance-led personal care and home fragrance. The company sells body care, hand soaps and sanitizers, fine fragrance, candles and home scents through a large store fleet and a meaningful e‑commerce business that together generate several billion dollars in annual sales. Its shops are usually placed in high-traffic regional malls, open‑air lifestyle centers, power centers and other formats that support frequent visits and impulse purchases.

The brand was created in 1990 by The Limited, Inc. as an in‑house concept launched in the Columbus, Ohio area. Through the 1990s and 2000s, Bath & Body Works grew rapidly across U.S. regional malls and became one of the core banners in the Limited Brands portfolio alongside Victoria’s Secret. A major milestone came in August 2021, when the former L Brands structure split into two independent public companies. Bath & Body Works, Inc. became a standalone, publicly traded business focused on personal care and home fragrance, while Victoria’s Secret & Co. took on the intimates and apparel business. That separation clarified the company’s mandate and set it up as a pure-play operator in its category.

Today Bath & Body Works, Inc. is a Fortune 500 company listed on the NYSE under the ticker BBWI. It reported about $7.4 billion in net sales in 2023 and ranked 481 on the 2024 Fortune 500 list. As of February 2024, the company operated roughly 1,850 Bath & Body Works and White Barn stores in the United States and Canada, with additional international locations and doors served through franchise and wholesale partners. Those international markets are primarily developed with local operators rather than directly run corporate stores.

Over roughly the past five years, the store base has evolved from a mall-heavy fleet to a mix that includes more off‑mall and open‑air locations. Management has emphasized optimizing and modestly growing the North American portfolio by pruning underperforming mall units, relocating to stronger centers, and investing in remodels and format refreshes. Newer layouts put more focus on candles and home fragrance and on merchandising that supports seasonal storytelling. At the same time, the company has invested in omnichannel capabilities such as buy‑online‑pickup‑in‑store and, in certain markets, same‑day delivery, which help tie digital demand back to physical stores.

For landlords and developers, Bath & Body Works brings a well-known, traffic-driving brand with a flexible inline format that can work in regional malls, open‑air lifestyle centers, grocery‑anchored centers and power centers. The chain continues to be active in renewals, relocations and select new leases, particularly in strong regional malls, dominant open‑air projects and a limited number of urban high‑street locations. Its consistent product launches, gifting occasions and promotional cadence help generate repeat visits and cross‑shopping, which can support the performance of nearby retailers. Internationally, its ongoing growth through franchise partners expands brand awareness while keeping corporate capital focused on core North American operations.