Limited Brands March revenue metric tops Street

COLUMBUS, Ohio -Limited Brands Inc., the parent of Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works, said Thursday that March revenue at stores open at least a year climbed 8 percent, handily topping Wall Street expectations.

Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters forecast an increase of only 4.4 percent.

This figure is a key indicator of a retailer's health because it excludes results from stores recently opened or closed.

Limited Brands has found a niche with its chains, which offer Americans lingerie and beauty and bath products, small luxuries that people will buy for themselves despite the economy.

The company reported that total revenue for the five weeks ended March 31 fell 3 percent to $840.9 million from $863 million.

For the nine weeks ended March 31, revenue at stores open at least a year increased 8 percent and total revenue slipped 2 percent to $1.5 billion from $1.53 billion.

Limited Brands, which is based in Columbus, Ohio, also operates the La Senza lingerie chain, Pink and Henri Bendel. It has 2,613 specialty stores in the U.S. and its brands are sold in more than 700 company-run and franchised additional locations worldwide.