'On not trying to build my business.
The punishment would have been never to be able to try.'
Leslie H. Wexner doesn’t miss a detail.
An all-consuming curiosity and acute powers of observation for spotting slight shifts in popular culture and consumer behavior have enabled the chairman and chief executive officer of L Brands to take a groundbreaking fashion concept and morph it into a juggernaut, embracing fine fragrance, bath, body and personal care, plus home fragrance. The result: 2015 retail sales of an estimated $4.7 billion — one-third of the $12.15 billion grand total for L Brands sales.
This story first appeared in the June 8, 2016 issue of WWD:
A freewheeling interview with Leslie Wexner reveals a sharp eye, a well-read mind and enough curiosity to build an empire.
Some CEOs buy sports teams.Leslie Wexner On Building an Empire
Leslie H. Wexner doesn't miss a detail. An all-consuming curiosity and acute powers of observation for spotting slight shifts in popular culture and consumer behavior have enabled the chairman and chief executive officer of L Brands to take a groundbreaking fashion concept and morph it into a juggernaut, embracing fine fragrance, bath, body and personal care, plus home fragrance.
Les Wexner bought the town of New Albany, Ohio.
New Albany was founded in 1837, but its story really begins in the late 1980s, when Wexner was looking for somewhere to build a country home. The Columbus, Ohio, native spent weekends scouring central Ohio for the perfect spot to construct his rural getaway. That’s how he found New Albany—which was then only “a community of plain topography,” as Wexner put it in a written response to emailed questions.
After buying 30 acres and then an additional 30, Wexner became “intrigued” with building something larger. It was dirt-cheap at the time. A 90-acre plot for his mansion was valued by the county auditor at $192,300 in 1987, a couple of years before Wexner bought it. That same parcel—land and property—is now valued at $45.6 million.
Article by Sophie Alexander: Billionaire Behind Victoria’s Secret Built His Version of the American Heartland
On Leadership
'I firmly believe leadership is not just an important thing. It's the most important thing.'
— Les Wexner, chairman and CEO, L Brands
