til 2018, the majority of the brand’s footprint was made up of airport stores that stocked a limited selection of underwear and perfume. Fast forward to today, there are seven Victoria’s Secret stores spread across Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, powered by the brand’s local distribution partner Valiram.  Valiram is a leading conglomerate of luxury and lifestyle brands in Southeast Asia, managing a group of globally recognised brands including Bulgari, Tory Burch, Versace and Tumi. In a move to expand its national footprint further, Victoria’s Secret has finally launched a localised e-commerce platform, nearly seven years since opening its first ‘true’ US-style flagship. E-comm as the endless aisle While bricks-and-mortar stores provide an immersive retail experience, the brand told Inside Retail that an online store will enable it to reach every customer nationwide with a full product assortment, even in locations where it doesn’t have a physical presence. Launching a dedicated Australian e-commerce site is not only a natural next step in Victoria’s Secret’s local growth strategy, it also reflects broader shopping behaviours. Australian consumers increasingly expect seamless online experiences, fast delivery and access to exclusive promotions.  By launching a dedicated platform, Victoria’s Secret is looking to align itself with this shift, ensuring the brand remains accessible and relevant to customer preferences. With all of its boutiques carrying the full assortment, the launch of the e-commerce site is about giving all Australians access to the complete Victoria’s Secret range that was previously available only in-store. The new website offers online customer experiences, including virtual bra fitting tools, fragrance recommendation guides and exclusive online-only product drops, designed to help consumers shop online with the same confidence and convenience as in-store. To mark the Australian website launch, the brand has kicked off a hyperrealistic CGI campaign featuring its most recognised products on some iconic landmarks –  a ‘Bombshell’ bra hanging off Sydney’s Sydney Harbour Bridge and a ‘Bombshell’ perfume placed on top of Melbourne’s Flinders Street Station. Back to bricks-and-mortar  The launch of Victoria’s Secret’s e-commerce platform in Australia is part of the brand’s rapid expansion in the market, with eight new stores set to open before the end of the year, including first-to-market stores in Brisbane and Perth.  According to the brand, it has the largest team of specialty trained bra fit experts fitting 100 million women worldwide each year. New Victoria’s Secret stores are set to open over the next few months in Melbourne Central, Melbourne Doncaster, Melbourne DFO Essendon, Brisbane’s North Lakes and Mount Gravatt, and Perth’s Karrinyup, DFO and Westfield Carousel.  This is an expansion of Victoria’s Secret current retail footprint, which includes stores located in Chadstone, Emporium, Highpoint and Pacific Fair shopping centres. According to Victoria’s Secret, each store launch will be marked by special events, influencer appearances and customer activations such as gift-with-purchase offers and exclusive promo codes, designed to engage directly with the local community. Victoria’s Secret’s growth strategy will see it take on both established and emerging competitors in a relatively small market, including Cotton On Body and Brett Blundy’s Leays.  Currently, Australia makes up a very small portion of Victoria’s Secret’s market share, with the brand operating over 1400 lingerie and beauty retail stores around the world, and a 30,000-strong workforce made up primarily of women.