Which company acquired Victoria's Secret in 1982?

The Limited acquired Victoria's Secret in 1982.

Victoria's Secret was founded in 1977 by Roy Raymond, who opened a small lingerie store in Palo Alto, California. The business later expanded into a mail-order catalog and several Bay Area stores, but it was struggling financially by 1982. Leslie Wexner, founder of The Limited, recognized that the brand could be developed on a much larger scale.

The Limited bought Victoria's Secret from Raymond for about $1 million. Under Wexner's ownership, the company changed its emphasis from a boutique aimed partly at men shopping for gifts to a broader women's retail brand. Its catalog, stores, national advertising and product lines expanded rapidly.

The acquisition is often described using later corporate names, which can cause confusion. The buyer at the time was The Limited, Inc.; the business later became associated with L Brands and was eventually separated as Victoria's Secret & Co. J.C. Penney, Macy's and Gap were not the company that made the 1982 acquisition.