Victoria's Secret's 'sexy for all' strategy boosts sales and shares By Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN Business Published Jun 26, 2021 10:33:40 AM enablePagination: false endIndex: (CNN) -- Victoria's Secret's brand image was in tatters, and its owner finally had an escape route. In February 2020, L Brands, the publicly-traded parent of Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, struck a $525 million deal with private equity firm Sycamore Partners to give up its majority stake in Victoria's Secret and take the brand private. Then the pandemic upended the global economy and Sycamore backed out. In May, the two sides called off the deal. L Brands was back to square one.