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 model for the operation of stores outside Canada and the United States.[1]

At its peak, La Senza was the dominant lingerie retailer in Canada, with 322 corporate-owned stores across the country in January 2009. It also had 497 franchised international stores at that time, for a total of 819 locations. However, fierce competition by La Vie en Rose and other lingerie retailers resulted in La Senza losing its Canadian dominance, closing 248 domestic locations. As of, La Senza owns and operates 74 stores in Canada and one in the United States, and has a franchise agreement with 202 international stores, for a total of 277 locations worldwide.[2]

History

La Senza was founded in Canada by Laurence Lewin and Irving Teitelbaum, who opened the company's first store in 1990. In October 2006, La Senza was purchased by L Brands of Columbus, Ohio for $710 million CAD

Operating structure

From 2000 to 2006, La Senza was sold by L Brands in January 2019 to Regent and now operates as an independent company.

United States

La Senza also briefly operated in the United States from 2000 to 2006. In 2016, several La Senza stores opened in the United States on an experimental basis.[6] This included two locations in L Brands' hometown Columbus, Ohio, at Easton Town Center and Polaris Fashion Place, and two locations in other states, including Orland Park, Illinois and Merrillville, Indiana. As of 2022, none of these locations are still in operation.

Franchise

La Senza UK

Businessman Theo Paphitis bought the United Kingdom and Ireland franchise, called La Senza UK, and began expanding it, eventually with sub-franchises in other parts of the European Union. In July 2006, Paphitis sold the company to private equity company Lion Capital, for a reported £100m.[7] Paphitis left the board and is no longer a shareholder,[8] and in Spring 2011, set up the new lingerie firm Boux Avenue.[9]

On 23 December 2011, La Senza UK filed for administration citing "trading conditions" as one of the conditions for closure. The company stated that it had 2,600 UK staff at 146 stores and 18 concessions, and announced plans to close 80 stores.[10]

On 9 January 2012, Kuwait based international retail franchise operator Alshaya announced it had reached agreement to take control of much of the ongoing La Senza business in the UK. Under an agreement with KPMG, administrators to La Senza UK, Alshaya UK Limited acquired exclusive franchise rights for the La Senza brand in the UK for an undisclosed sum. Alshaya said it would retain 60 stores, securing around 1,100 jobs while ensuring the continuation of a strong and popular brand on the UK high street.[11] The deal and subsequent plans for the business, which included new product collections and store redesigns, represented a planned investment of around £100m in the UK retail sector over the next two years by Alshaya.[12][13] Difficult trading conditions however continued and by June 2014 administrators were once again appointed to the struggling UK sector of the La Senza business. By this time the group was under the ownership of Marnixheath, which was operating 55 stores in the UK, employing 752 people.[14]

L Brands later acquired all of the assets and intellectual property of the UK business.

La Senza UK

On 9 January 2012, Kuwait based international retail franchise operator Alshaya announced it had reached agreement to take control of much of the ongoing La Senza business in the UK.

type	Private
founder	Laurence Lewin Irving Teitelbaum
foundation	1990
location	Columbus, Ohio, United States
locations	277
industry	Clothing
products	Lingerie
owner	Regent LP
parent	L Brands (2006–2019)
homepage	LaSenza.ca

History

Products

Operating structure

United States

Franchise

La Senza UK

La Senza UK

Production

Models and celebrity endorsements

External links

References