- Victoria's Secret has been accused of failing to appeal to female shoppers in recent years, with some customers complaining on Facebook that its ads, which feature scantily dressed models, are targeted more towards men than women.
- Meanwhile, rival brand Aerie has doubled down on its efforts to promote female empowerment and is gaining market share.
- We've compiled a list of up-and-coming lingerie brands that could pose a threat to Victoria's Secret.
Lingerie giant Victoria's Secret has been accused of failing to appeal to its female shoppers with racy ad campaigns, relatively steep pricing, and rail-thin models.
In its parent company's most recent earnings report, released Wednesday, same-store sales were down by 5% at Victoria's Secret stores.
Increasingly, brands such as American Eagle's body-positive underwear store, Aerie, have swooped in and taken market share away from Victoria's Secret. Aerie has seen 12 consecutive quarters of same-store sales growth; its same-store sales were up 27% in the fiscal year 2017 (first-quarter earnings of 2018 have not yet been reported) and this is becoming a major concern for its main rival.
"Over the past few years, we believe the competitive landscape in lingerie (in constructed, un-constructed, and Sport) has evolved. In addition to players such as Aerie (AEO) who are offering a very clear brand proposition, new digitally-native entrants are entering the arena," Cowen analyst Oliver Chen wrote in a note to investors in March.
Here are some of the hottest new companies and collections that could pose a threat to Victoria's Secret:
American Eagle's Aerie
American Eagle's underwear brand, Aerie, has become one of the company's biggest sweet spots. The underwear collection, which includes a limited selection of apparel and swimwear, is targeted at 15- to 25-year-olds and covers a breadth of sizes from XXS to XXL.
Aerie famously doesn't Photoshop any of the images in its ads. In 2014, it swapped its airbrushed ads for unretouched photos and launched a body-positive campaign known as #AerieReal. This seems to be resonating well with customers as it has seen 12 consecutive quarters of positive same-store sales growth.
Love by GapBody
Gap's latest underwear collection, Love, is focused on "comfortable basics."
It's too early to judge how successful it is, as it just launched in February, but its ad campaign has been well-received online. One photo that showed a woman breastfeeding her baby went viral last week after being praised on Instagram.
"I have never shopped at Gap, but I will be purchasing something tonight! This is amazing!" one Instagram commenter wrote at the time.
True&Co
Online-only store True&Co, which launched in 2012, aims to make shopping for bras more straightforward with a quiz that asks shoppers a series of questions about their shape, how their bra currently fits, and what preferences they have.
From there, the store emails customers a selection of recommended bras, which they can try on at home and then return any that they don't like.
The company was acquired in 2017 by PVH Corp., the parent company of brands such as Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, for an undisclosed amount.
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