Victoria’s Secret and PINK are two retail brands owned by the same parent company, L Brands. However, they operate as separate store concepts targeting different demographics. Victoria’s Secret caters to an older, more sophisticated female customer, while PINK courts a younger, college-age crowd. Though they share some similarities in their product offerings, the Victoria’s Secret and PINK brands have distinct identities and branding. Exploring their histories, store experiences, product lines, and marketing approaches reveals how the two chains differentiate themselves.
History of Victoria’s Secret and PINK
Victoria’s Secret was founded in 1977 in San Francisco by Roy Raymond. The original store offered an intimate shopping setting with Victorian inspired décor that Raymond felt would help men feel more comfortable when purchasing lingerie. The catalog shopping business quickly took off, and Victoria’s Secret began opening retail locations in the early 1980s. Over the next two decades, Victoria’s Secret cemented itself as the leading retailer in the lingerie market, introducing its signature Angels supermodels in the 1990s and launching its blockbuster annual fashion show in 1995.
In an effort to expand its customer base to a younger demographic, L Brands launched the PINK brand in 2002. The first PINK store opened at a mall in Columbus, Ohio, the hometown of L Brands’ headquarters. PINK was designed to target college-aged women with its casual vibe and lower price points. The brand also leaned heavily into collegiate inspired styles and colors. By 2011, there were over 600 PINK stores across the United States and Canada. PINK has become the second biggest contributor to L Brands’ profits after the core Victoria’s Secret brand.
In-Store Experience
The different target customers of Victoria’s Secret and PINK are immediately apparent upon walking into one of their stores. Victoria’s Secret locations feel more intimate with dim mood lighting, polished fixtures, and plenty of images of Angels supermodels throughout. Sections are divided into bra types, underwear cuts, sleepwear, swimwear, and more. Silk robes, plush slipper boots, and cozy pajama onesies deliver a sense of luxury. Prices steer on the higher side, but frequent sales and coupon offers provide deals on all merchandise.
Step into a PINK store, and suddenly you’re transported into a bright, peppy college world. Hot pink is everywhere, and walls are plastered with neon signs and varsity letters. Merchandise is organized by style, like lounge, yoga, or sleepwear. Bins of colorful panties and bralettes sit front and center with affordable impulse buy price points. Loungewear comes in hoodies, shorts, and tees embroidered with college names or slogans like “Chill Squad.” PINK’s dressing rooms even feature campus inspired touches like red lockers, inspirational sticky notes, and old school desks.
Products and Branding
As the originator of the Victoria’s Secret lingerie empire, the Victoria’s Secret brand focuses on the core products it built its reputation on. Their selection features an extensive range of bras including push-up, demi, balconette, sports, and strapless styles with options like padding, underwire, adjustable straps and clasps. Panties come in cuts like bikini, hipster, boyshorts, and thongs made from materials like satin, lace, velvet, and cotton. Victoria’s Secret is also known for its wide variety of sleepwear like slips, babydolls, rompers, teddies, and pajamas as well as robes, swimsuits, sports apparel, loungewear, and fragrances.
Rather than lingerie, PINK targets young women with a selection of apparel, accessories, beauty, and personal care products mixed alongside an assortment of bras and underwear. PINK’s underwear tends to be made in lower cost microfiber with college and cheeky sayings printed on them. They offer bras, bralettes, bandeaus, sports bras, and swim tops in brightly colored patterns and styles like campus florals, ombré, or lace. Beyond undergarments, PINK focuses its products on fun casualwear like leggings, sweatpants, camisoles, puffer vests, cozy sherpa wear, and college inspired tees and tanks. PINK also has a bath and body line with fragrances, lotions, shower gels, and lip glosses.
Marketing and Brand Imaging
The messaging in Victoria’s Secret and PINK’s marketing campaigns aligns with their distinct target audiences. Victoria’s Secret spotlights glamour, luxury, and sex appeal. Their catalogues and website showcase sultry lingerie worn by slim runway model “Angels” like Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Gisele Bündchen, and Adriana Lima. Victoria’s Secret pioneered the choreographed runway extravaganza with the annual Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show that famously featured musical superstars like Taylor Swift, Rihanna, and Justin Bieber. However, in 2019, with changing cultural tides and viewership declines, Victoria’s Secret made the decision to cancel their iconic fashion show in hopes of redefining their marketing approach.
Unlike its sister brand, PINK embodies a cute, casual, carefree lifestyle in its ads. Early marketing featured black and white photos of young women having fun together with slogans like “Girls just wanna have fun.” PINK’s models tend to have more athletic, realistic body types than the stereotypical lingerie model. The brand taps into popular youth culture by collaborating with campus ambassador programs, partnering with music festivals like Warped Tour, and sponsoring events like Final Four parties. In 2006, PINK launched its ultimately successful Victoria’s Secret PINK Collegiate Collection, leaning into the college women demographic with university licensed apparel.
Retail Locations and Operations
While they may share parent company ownership, Victoria’s Secret and PINK operate as distinct brands when it comes to their retail stores. Standalone PINK stores began opening in 2010, separate from Victoria’s Secret locations. As of 2022, there are currently over 1,100 Victoria’s Secret stores compared to around 650 PINK stores. Though some malls may house both a Victoria’s Secret and PINK in proximity, they generally do not overlap in the same space. Often they will locate on different levels or hallways to attract their unique customer walking by.
Behind the scenes, the two brands converge more when it comes to operations. Inventory, ordering, HR functions, and finance are centralized at L Brands headquarters. However, PINK and Victoria’s Secret segmented merchandising teams focus on tailoring product assortment and creative strategies specifically for each concepts’ target market. Associates may be cross trained to work both stores to allow for staffing flexibility. Sales associates at PINK also often appear younger and may be students themselves who can authentically connect with their college-age customers.
Pricing and Positioning Strategies
Pricing is one of the major factors that distinguishes the Victoria’s Secret and PINK brands. As a luxury lingerie retailer, Victoria’s Secret commands higher price points across all categories. Bras typically range from $40 up to $60 for basic styles but can reach beyond $100 for push-up, padded, or contour styles. Underwear is priced between $5 for a standard bikini panty up to $17 for more detailed lace and mesh materials. Sleepwear like slips and robes run from $50 to $80 while slippers and pajamas are usually $30 to $60. High end French perfumes and fragrances are priced from $25 up to over $300 for limited editions.
At PINK, keeping prices affordable for the college student budget is a priority. PINK positions their undies and bras as cute impulse accessories rather than functional lingerie. Underwear and bralettes run just $5 to $25 on average. Leggings and workout pants are usually priced under $50, with hoodies, tees, and sherpa pullovers from $25 to $60. PINK also incentivizes multi-buy discounts on items like 5 pairs of underwear for $25. Overall, PINK aims for at least 20% lower price points than mainline Victoria’s Secret while still conveying style and quality.
| Brand | Target Customer | Store Experience | Product Assortment | Brand Imaging | Retail Locations | Pricing Strategy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Victoria’s Secret | Sophisticated, fashion-conscious women in their 20s to 40s | Intimate, luxurious, glamorous | Bras, underwear, sleepwear, swimwear, fragrances | Glamour, luxury, sex appeal | Over 1,100 stores globally | Higher price points, premium brand positioning |
| PINK | Casual college women ages 15 to 22 | Bright, youthful, peppy, college-themed | Bras, underwear, apparel, dorm decor, beauty, personal care | Fun, flirty, carefree youth lifestyle | Around 650 stores globally | Value pricing below Victoria’s Secret |
Conclusion
While Victoria’s Secret and PINK both sell bras and underwear under the shared L Brands family, they differentiate themselves in almost every other way. From brand history to store experience to product mix and pricing, each chain has developed its own unique image and strategy to appeal to distinct target demographics. Victoria’s Secret caters to sophisticated women looking for glamorous, quality lingerie. PINK courts the youth with its casual vibe and college life-inspired styles at affordable prices. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if the two brands continue operating independently or if Victoria’s Secret and PINK start cross-pollinating to attract a wider range of female consumers. But for now, the two store concepts remain decidedly separate shopping experiences.
