Bath & Body Works, LLC. is an American retail store chain that sells soaps, lotions, fragrances, and candles. It was founded in 1990 in New Albany,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

and has since expanded across 6 continents. In 1997, it was the largest bath shop chain in the United States.

History

Bath & Body Works was founded in 1990 in New Albany, Ohio. The company's first store opened in a

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Greater Boston, Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most ...

mall in September 1990. In 1997, a secondary brand called Bath & Body Works at Home was launched. Two years later the company launched the White Barn Candle Company, a division specializing in the sale of

scented candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candles i ...

Bath & Body Works in Rapid City, South Dakota

Bath & Body Works launched both a seasonal catalog and a website in 2006. In November 2006, the company launched its first television commercial advertisement. Net sales as of January 28, 2006 were $2.3 billion, significantly higher than all other L Brands companies other than

Victoria's Secret Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing, and beauty retailer known for high visibility marketing and branding, starting with a popular catalog and followed by an annual fashion show with supermodels dubbed Angels. As the largest r ...

. In July 2008, the company announced that it was opening six locations in Canada. With the company acquiring Canadian-based

La Senza La Senza Corporation is a Canadian fashion retailer that sells women's lingerie and intimate apparel. The La Senza brand is currently owned by Regent which operates and owns La Senza stores in Canada and the United States and uses a franchise mo ...

, they felt it was the opportunity to move into a growing

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

market, with

The Body Shop The Body Shop International Limited, trading as The Body Shop, is a British cosmetics, skin care and perfume company. Founded in 1976 by Anita Roddick, the company currently has a range of 1,000 products sold in about 3,000 stores, divid ...

being its main competition. Bath & Body Works operates more than 1,900 stores. In October 2010, it opened its first stores outside of North America in

Kuwait Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the no ...

, by the franchise giant M.H. Alshaya.

References

External links

Bath & Body Works website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bath and Body Works Retail companies of the United States Companies based in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area Retail companies established in 1990 1990 establishments in Ohio American corporate subsidiaries