Victoria's Secret officially opened its first two stores in Israel on Thursday. Delta, the brand's franchisee in the country, opened the two branches Thursday morning at Ofer Malls Group shopping centers in Petah Tikva and Haifa. Delta is also expected to open five branches of the Bath & Body Works chain in Israel in the near future.
The stores opened after months of delays due to the war in Gaza. The ongoing fighting led to the stores remaining closed for an extended period of time despite being ready to open. The same was true for the Bath & Body Works brand.
Fashion industry sources told Ynet, "Yes, there was a significant delay due to the war, and due to Israel's image in the world. But we thank every brand that decides to open stores in the country. Seven or eight international brands were interested in entering the market before the war, which have since changed their minds.”
Victoria's Secret store in Petah Tikva spans an area of 500 square meters, while the store in Haifa covers 400 square meters. The chain will sell the brand’s lingerie, cosmetics and perfumes in Israel. The brand's website in Hebrew is already active and offers free shipping for purchases above 199 shekels.
Israelis have been waiting for years for the fashion brand to agree to arrive in the country, despite its founders and developers being Jewish. Various Israeli stores sold Victoria's Secret cosmetics across the country, but the brand itself didn’t have an official presence in the market. Eventually, Delta managed to strike a deal with the brand right before the start of the war.
The brand is now at a crossroads in the U.S. as well. Victoria's Secret’s sales worldwide have been sharply declining since 2019, showing a slight upturn and recovery since 2020. In 2018, the company reported annual sales of $8.1 billion, which plunged to $5.41 billion in 2020. In 2023, its sales amounted to $6.18 billion, however, the brand is now in an ongoing downtrend in sales.