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Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Inside pics of Jeffrey Epstein's palatial Manhattan mansion with 7 floors and a home office featuring a taxidermy tiger
Jeffrey Epstein's New York mansion was sold for $51 million in 2021 to Michael D Daffey, a former Goldman Sachs executive, and his wife. The sale was finalised in March 2021, with the proceeds reportedly going to the Epstein Victims' Compensation Program to support the victims of Epstein's alleged sexual abuse. Also read | Step inside Audrey Hepburn's Swiss villa that looks plucked out of a fairytale Step inside Jeffrey Epstein's 7-storey New York mansion. (Pics courtesy: The New York Times) Now, an August 5 The New York Times article, titled, 'A Look Inside Jeffrey Epstein's Manhattan Lair', gives a peek inside Epstein's former home. The mansion, located in Manhattan's Upper East Side, is a seven-story, 28,000-square-foot Neoclassical residence with 10 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms, as per an earlier The New York Times article from April 2021. Despite its luxurious features, the property was reportedly sold at a 'scandal discount' due to Epstein's notorious reputation. Epstein died in 2019. The New York Times has shared inside photos of the home and written that 'in his seven-story townhouse, the sex offender hosted the elite, displayed photos with presidents and showcased a first edition of Lolita, according to previously unreported photos and letters'. The mansion with 10 bedrooms was built in 1933 According to The New York Times, Epstein's former residence 'is a neo-French Classic mansion between Madison and Fifth Avenues, near Central Park – fifty feet wide and seven stories high, the structure has around 28,000 square feet and includes 10 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms'. The 2021 report said, 'The mansion was built in 1933 for Herbert N Straus, an heir to the Macy's fortune who died before it was completed; it later became part of St. Clare Hospital and then a private school. In 1989, Mr Epstein's mentor, Leslie Wexner, the founder of L Brands, bought the building for around $13.2 million and converted it into a private residence.' Fresh details The publication's August 5 report said the townhouse, 'a stone's throw from Central Park, was sold to Epstein in 1998 by Leslie H Wexner, the billionaire owner of L Brands, and Epstein renovated and redecorated the mansion in an eccentric style'. It said: 'Dozens of framed prosthetic eyeballs lined the entryway. A sculpture of a woman wearing a bridal gown and clutching a rope was suspended in a central atrium. In the ground-floor dining room, Mr. Epstein entertained a rotating cast of celebrities, academics, politicians and businessmen.' Inside photos show tables crowded with framed snapshots flaunting Epstein's connections to some of the world's most famouse people, such as Donald Trump, Pope John Paul II, Mick Jagger, Elon Musk, Fidel Castro, former President Bill Clinton and Richard Branson. On the third floor, 'was Epstein's sanctum — a suite that included his bedroom, the mansion's infamous massage room and a cluster of bathrooms'. In another picture, the home office was seen – it featured a taxidermied tiger on a statement black and red printed carpet. Then, there was a sculpture of a bride clinging to a rope dangling in a central atrium of the mansion.
New York Post
05-08-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Jeffery Epstein-linked billionaire pays $37M for former Obama rental home on Martha's Vineyard
A Martha's Vineyard estate once favored by the Obamas as a summer retreat has quietly changed hands for $37 million — $2 million below its May asking price. The buyer is a trust tied to billionaire retail magnate Les Wexner, the longtime head of L Brands and founder of Victoria's Secret, according to the Real Deal. Known as Blue Heron Farm, the 28.5-acre Chilmark property had been off the market for more than a decade, following an extensive transformation under its previous owners, British architect Norman Foster and his wife, Elena Ochoa Foster. 9 The Martha's Vineyard estate once rented by Barack and Michelle Obama as their summer retreat has sold for $37 million. Evan Joseph Studios 9 The home sold to a trust linked to Ohio-based billionaire Les Wexner, founder of L Brands and former close associate of Jeffrey Epstein. The couple bought the estate in 2011 for $22.4 million and overhauled it into a secluded compound blending historic charm with sleek modern amenities. It was listed this spring for $39 million with agents Brian Dougherty and Maggie Gold Seelig of Corcoran, and went under contract just weeks later. The deal closed on July 10, according to public records. 9 Known as Blue Heron Farm, the 28.5-acre waterfront compound hosted the Obamas for three summers starting in 2009. Evan Joseph Studios 9 The Obamas reportedly paid $50,000 a week during their time in the home. Evan Joseph Studios During the Obama presidency, the secluded property served as the family's vacation home for three consecutive summers beginning in 2009. At the time, they were said to have paid roughly $50,000 a week to rent it. The Obamas stopped returning after the Fosters bought the home and ended its rental availability. The estate includes a 7,000-square-foot main residence with a wraparound porch, plus a guesthouse, a design studio, a gym, a tennis court, equestrian facilities and a private dock. 9 After architect Norman Foster and his wife, Elena Ochoa Foster, purchased the property in 2011 for $22.4 million, they renovated and withdrew it from the rental market. Evan Joseph Studios A barn originally constructed in Pennsylvania over 150 years ago now anchors the entry drive. Under Foster's tenure, a new pool house was added, echoing the clean lines of his firm's more urban projects, including London's Gherkin and the new Wembley Stadium. The buyer, according to records, is a trust managed by Matthew Zieger, Wexner's longtime attorney. While Wexner did not comment, the 87-year-old tycoon has deep real estate ties in Ohio, where L Brands is headquartered, and in Jupiter, Fla., where he owns additional property with his wife Abigail. 9 The estate, listed for $39 million in May, features a 7,000-square-foot main home, a guesthouse, a modern pool house, a gym, a tennis court, stables and a relocated 150-year-old Pennsylvania barn. Evan Joseph Studios His name has also resurfaced in recent years due to his decades-long personal and professional relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, who served as his financial adviser until 2007. Though no longer renters, the Obamas remained fond of Blue Heron Farm. According to Foster, the former president once made a lighthearted attempt to reclaim it. In a New Yorker interview, Foster recalled the former president applied 'jokey pressure' to resume the rental arrangement. 'Sadly, no,' Foster told him at the time, politely declining. 9 The Obamas, drawn by the property's privacy and serenity, later bought their own $11.65 million Martha's Vineyard home in 2019 and also maintain residences in Washington, DC, Chicago and reportedly Hawaii. AFP/Getty Images Afterward, the Obamas pivoted to another Martha's Vineyard rental before purchasing their own home on the island in 2019 for $11.65 million — a nine-bedroom, 8.5-bath residence formerly owned by Joe Lockhart, a former White House press secretary. Michelle Obama later joked about the layout on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show,' saying, 'He got so shortchanged on this whole deal. He doesn't have enough closet space, sorry! He's got the smallest room for his office.' The couple also owns homes in Washington, DC's Kalorama neighborhood and in Chicago's Kenwood, which they bought in 2005. 9 The deal closed July 10, marking a rare high-end transaction in the area and further expanding Wexner's already sprawling real estate portfolio. Evan Joseph Studios 9 Les Wexner. Courtesy Hulu In addition, they are rumored to be connected to a beachfront compound under development in Oahu by longtime friend Marty Nesbitt. One of three homes on the $8.1 million site is believed to be intended for the Obamas. For the Fosters, parting ways with Blue Heron Farm marks the end of a deeply personal project. A statement from the listing described it as 'a historic estate with notable farming roots' that had been 'meticulously updated and modernized … with significant investments made in timeless renovations, extensive foliage planting and build-out for new amenities.' But for the Obamas, its draw was more emotional. In a previous statement, Dougherty and Gold Seelig explained, the family initially chose the property 'for its incredible privacy, serenity and significance.'
NZ Herald
24-07-2025
- Business
- NZ Herald
From Epstein's finances to his computers and his autopsy, there's a lot of relevant, unanswered questions
With the exception of redactions required to protect the innocent and materials that must be withheld while under court seal, the complete FBI files should be released. Here are nine unanswered questions about the Epstein case — ones that a curious, non-conspiracy-minded citizen might have — that the files might help answer: 1: How did Epstein make his money and how did he finance his sex-trafficking over two decades? At the time of Epstein's death in 2019, his estate was worth an estimated US$600 million ($990m). He worked briefly on Wall Street and built his wealth with the help of several billionaires, including the L Brands founder Leslie Wexner and the Apollo Global Management co-founder Leon Black, for whom Epstein provided consulting, tax advice and other financial services. But it's still not clear how Epstein amassed such a large fortune — or how he was able to fund such a complex trafficking scheme. Neither Wexner nor Black has been accused of wrongdoing by law enforcement in connection to Epstein's crimes, and both men have said that they did not know about his criminal behaviour. In addition to trafficking underage victims within the US, Epstein imported young women and children from Russia, Belarus, Turkey, and Turkmenistan, according to an investigation conducted by the office of Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon. This trafficking was presumably expensive. Treasury Department files reviewed by Wyden's staff members detail, among other things, 4725 wire transfers adding up to nearly US$1.1 billion associated with just one of Epstein's bank accounts. We need to follow the money. The FBI files may reveal more about the funding and other financial mechanics of Epstein's operation. 2: Did Epstein have any ties to spy agencies? Some have speculated that Epstein may have been acting as an intelligence asset. One suggestive comment was apparently made by Alexander Acosta when after the 2016 presidential election, he was being vetted for secretary of labour in Trump's first administration. Back in 2008, as the US Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Acosta agreed to a lenient — and heavily criticised — plea deal that ended a federal investigation into Epstein. When asked in 2016 to explain that decision, Acosta reportedly said: 'I was told Mr Epstein 'belonged to intelligence' and to leave it alone'. Attorney-General Pam Bondi said this month that she did not know whether Epstein was an intelligence asset. 'To him being an agent,' she told reporters, 'I have no knowledge about that.' The FBI files could help resolve this matter. 3: Are there references to Trump in the files that add to our knowledge of his relationship with Epstein? Trump has acknowledged being friendly with Epstein for about 15 years, ending with a falling out over a real estate matter in 2004. Trump has not been accused by law enforcement of any wrongdoing related to Epstein, but his relationship with Epstein has come under scrutiny. During the 2024 presidential campaign, a model named Stacey Williams accused Trump of groping her in the presence of Epstein at Trump Tower in 1993 — a claim his campaign denied. The New York Times recently reported that one of Epstein's victims, Maria Farmer, said that in 1996 and in 2006, she urged the FBI to investigate Trump and others who had been in Epstein's orbit. Trump said to reporters last week that he hasn't been told whether he is in the FBI's Epstein files. If they are released, we could see if he is. 4: What about Bill Clinton? Collecting famous friends seemed to be integral to Epstein's business model — and Bill Clinton was the most famous. In a contact book, Epstein listed 21 different phone numbers for Clinton. The two men met decades ago, most likely through Epstein's close friend and co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell. The Daily Beast has reported that she and Epstein attended a reception hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton in 1993. After he left office in 2001, Clinton flew on Epstein's private jets for 26 flights from 2002 to 2003, according to flight logs. Virginia Giuffre, the first of Epstein's victims to go public, once claimed that Epstein told her that Clinton 'owes me a favour.' Clinton has denied having a close relationship with Epstein and has said that he knew nothing about the crimes that Epstein was accused of. A full accounting of the FBI's Epstein files might help clarify the nature of Clinton's relationship with Epstein. 5: Who were the clients implicated in Epstein's sex-trafficking operation? The lawyer Alan Dershowitz, who joined Epstein's legal team in 2005 when Epstein was first under investigation, said that young women or girls interviewed by the FBI claimed to identify several of Epstein's clients. Dershowitz wrote recently that their identities 'should be disclosed but the courts have ordered them sealed'. He added: 'I know who they are. They don't include any current officeholders. We don't know whether the accusations are true.' Giuffre, who died by suicide in April, said that Epstein trafficked her to multiple men — including Dershowitz. Dershowitz denied her allegation and sued Giuffre for defamation. Giuffre later said she may have made a mistake in accusing him. Others she accused, including politicians in the US, have denied wrongdoing. Prince Andrew of Britain, whom she also accused, denied wrongdoing and settled out of court a lawsuit that she brought against him. What if anything did the FBI do to corroborate Giuffre's claims about Andrew? Did it investigate the authenticity of a photo showing her with Andrew — a photograph he has claimed may be a fake? 6: Who helped Epstein overseas? One associate of Epstein was the French modelling scout Jean-Luc Brunel, who faced his own allegations of sexual assault and died behind bars in Paris in 2022 while awaiting trial on rape charges. Brunel was accused of grooming minors and trafficking them to Epstein. After Epstein's conviction in Florida, court documents assert that Epstein continued his abuse of girls and had a steady supply of victims ferried to him in the US Virgin Islands. According to a lawsuit filed by the attorney-general of the Virgin Islands, Epstein used private planes, helicopters, boats and other vehicles to bring young women and girls to his island residence there. The scheme led to the molestation and exploitation of 'numerous' girls between aged 12 and 17, according to legal papers. The Miami Herald has reported that the US Marshals Service recorded the names of passengers on Epstein's planes when they arrived at airports in New York and the Virgin Islands. The Department of Homeland Security released some of those documents pursuant to a Freedom of Information Act request from the Miami Herald, but the names were redacted, with the exception of Epstein's. There is probably revealing information about Epstein's operation in the Virgin Islands in the FBI files. 7: What did investigators find in Epstein's safe, computers, and other property? An evidence inventory made during multiple investigations of Epstein by law enforcement resulted in a three-page index generated by the FBI. According to the index, the evidence included 40 computer and electronic devices, 26 storage drives, more than 70 CDs, and six recording devices — along with approximately 60 pieces of physical evidence, including photos, travel logs, and employee logs. The records, according to ABC News, also included three discs containing the outcome of court-authorised intercepts of a phone number previously belonging to Maxwell. This evidence represents a wealth of potential detail, and we're being denied access to it. Why hold this material back if properly redacted? 8: What do the videos show? Victims have said that Epstein had cameras in his homes. The Department of Justice and the FBI have said that the Epstein files contain more than 10,000 downloaded videos and images of illegal child sex material and other pornography. The AP recently reported on a court filing in which Epstein's estate was said to have located an unspecified number of videos and photos that it said might contain child sex abuse material. The FBI files could provide more details about when and where this material was uncovered. 9: What is in Epstein's autopsy report? The autopsy was performed by Kristin Roman, a forensic pathologist, at the direction of Dr Barbara Sampson, New York's chief medical examiner at the time. Sampson determined that Epstein died by suicide, but many are sceptical. Were DNA tests performed on the bedsheet that Epstein was said to have used to hang himself? If so, was any foreign DNA detected? Did investigators question inmates in nearby cells about what they heard or saw? Seeking answers to this and the other eight matters is the least we can do, not only for Epstein's victims but also for a nation that badly needs to restore its trust in government. This article originally appeared in The New York Times. Written by: Barry Levine Barry Levine is the author of The Spider: Inside the Criminal Web of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell and a co-author, with Monique El-Faizy, of All the President's Women: Donald Trump and the Making of a Predator. ©2025 THE NEW YORK TIMES
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Victoria's Secret's Les Wexner Made Billions From AI Giant CoreWeave
F ive years ago, Ohio's most revered entrepreneur Les Wexner stepped down as chairman of L Brands and soon began to sell off his stake in Victoria's Secret's parent company amid controversy over his close relationship with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Many believed that Wexner, then age 82, would quietly retire to his 340 acre estate in New Albany, Ohio. Instead, the fashion mogul has more than doubled his fortune thanks in large part to some savvy bets in a different industry: technology. Over just the past three months, the mogul's net worth–which includes assets held in his children's and wife Abigail's names–has soared to $10.1 billion from $7.9 billion, according to Forbes' estimates. The biggest driver of this increase: a 4% stake in CoreWeave, one of the buzziest artificial intelligence companies around. On Monday, CoreWeave announced it is buying crypto miner Core Scientific in a roughly $9 billion all-stock deal. Coreweave's market capitalization has almost tripled since its March IPO to nearly $73 billion today, and Wexner's stake is now worth $2.8 billion. Forbes previously reported on how Wexner scored his stake in CoreWeave, which was founded in Livingston, New Jersey in 2017. Thanks to a savvy investment by Wexner's money manager at the time, a trust established for the benefit of his four children – Sarah, Hannah, David and Harry – apparently invested $1 million in CoreWeave in 2019; it put in another $600,000 in the startup's Series A funding round in 2021. Wexner's CoreWeave shares were already worth $730 million when the company went public in March. The eight-year-old CoreWeave helps companies build data centers and loans out cloud access to much-sought-after graphics processing units, or GPUs, which firms like Microsoft, IBM and Meta pay to use to build AI models. With no shortage of customers, the company recorded $982 million in revenue during the first quarter of this year, a 420% increase versus the same quarter last year. However, it's yet to turn a profit and reported a net loss of $315 million during the same period. Nonetheless, CoreWeave's valuation continues to shoot up, minting three-comma fortunes for its largest shareholders though they can't cash out until the IPO lock-up period ends in September. Its success has producedat least four new billionaires, including CoreWeave's three cofounders: Michael Intrator (estimated net worth: $9.9 billion), Brian Venturo ($6.1 billion) and Brannin McBee ($4.5 billion). Early investor and board member Jack Cogen is also a new billionaire, worth an estimated $3.5 billion. Forbes discovered the Wexner family's stake in CoreWeave in a lawsuit filed by the wealth management firm Florence Capital Advisors in the United States District Court in the Southern District of New York in May 2024. In the lawsuit, Florence Capital Advisors claimed they were owed a nearly $7 million fee for advising Wexner's family trust to invest in CoreWeave in its very early days. A representative for the trust responded in a counterclaim that accused the wealth manager of 'fraudulent conduct' and 'multiple breaches of fiduciary duty.' The case is still ongoing. A representative for Wexner did not respond to Forbes' request for comment for this article while Florence Capital founder and CEO Greg Hersch declined to comment due to the ongoing litigation. Wexner and his family, who are estimated to have pocketed more than $2 billion after-tax from selling their L Brands shares between 2020 and 2021, likely have other startup investments we don't know about. Outside of their stake in CoreWeave, the Wexners own a New Albany-based real estate development firm with an estimated $950 million worth of land across Central Ohio, an estimated $1.4 billion art collection, a nearly 300-foot yacht, a Ferrari collection and a roughly $300 million portfolio of luxury homes around the world. Wexner's development firm, The New Albany Company, transformed the city of New Albany in the late 1980s and '90s. © 2019 Bloomberg Finance LP W exner may seem like a surprising pioneer in the fast-changing world of AI. However, he's actually spent years preparing his home state of Ohio to be at the cutting edge of the tech revolution. Wexner owns the New Albany Company, a powerful real estate development firm in Central Ohio that led the transformation of New Albany, which was still a small rural town in the early 1980s, into an economic powerhouse housing the manufacturing facilities for his many fashion brands and employing tens of thousands of people. 'Because The Limited was here, Columbus was the distribution center,' explains Kevin Cox, an Ohio State University associate professor and author of 'Boomtown Columbus,' a 2021 book about economic development in and around Ohio's capital. Since 2019, the New Albany Company has sold thousands of acres of land to tech giants like Meta, Amazon, Microsoft and Google to build data centers in the area. These projects, often propped up by generous state or local tax breaks, have generated some controversy due to the lack of jobs they tend to create. Wexner's New Albany Company also played a crucial role in securing nearby Johnstown, Ohio as the location where Intel announced in January 2022 it would build a more than $28 billion semiconductor production facility intended to help bolster domestic production of crucial computer chips. Intel's project, once slated to open this year, has stalled amid broader problems with the tech firm's money-losing chip manufacturing business. The latest update from the company indicated it will end construction five years behind schedule and is expected to open in 2031. Still, Wexner has continued to benefit from a flood of tech interest in New Albany and surrounding areas. In January, AI military juggernaut Anduril announced it is setting up a $1 billion 'hyperscale' plant near Columbus where it plans to produce tens of thousands of weapons and autonomous systems each year. In the past few months alone, Google, Meta and biotech firm Amgen have all announced expansions of their facilities in the area. Wexner's firm is often the selling end of these massive land transactions. These big tech companies are paying top dollar for large swaths of land: Last month, Google paid $741,000 an acre for nearly 85 acres in New Albany's Business Park. Former President Joe Biden spoke at the groundbreaking of the Intel semiconductor manufacturing facility near New Albany, Ohio on September 9, 2022. AFP via Getty Images The New Albany Company is also currently in the process of its own expansion. According to Columbia Business First, a subsidiary of the development firm has spent the past two and a half years quietly amassing more than 1,200 acres of land in Marysville, a small rural city about 40 minutes drive from New Albany where it plans to build two massive business parks for industrial and innovation uses. Through his New Albany Company, Wexner still owns more than 3,200 acres across Central Ohio, worth an estimated $950 million. During a May board meeting for the Wexner Medical Center and Nationwide Children's Hospital, Wexner, who is the board's chair, reportedly predicted 'probably the largest AI investment in the world will happen in Columbus.' 'Columbus is the largest city in Ohio,' he said during the meeting, as reported by The Columbus Dispatch . 'We don't publicize that – and I know in the real estate business that I'm in, people are always shocked at how big we are and how fast we've grown.' With additional reporting by Iain Martin. More from Forbes Forbes What America's Foreign-Born Billionaires Think About Trump's Immigration Policies By Matt Durot Forbes America's Richest Immigrants 2025 By Matt Durot Forbes Mamdani Doesn't Think We Should Have Billionaires. Here's Why That Will Never Happen. By Kyle Khan-Mullins Forbes Elon Musk's Robotaxi Dream Could Be A Liability Nightmare For Tesla And Its Owners By Alan Ohnsman Forbes This Secretive Company Built An Empire By Hawking Bad Financial And Health Advice On Facebook By Emily Baker-White
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Investor slams Victoria's Secret ‘super squad' leadership as inexperienced, ineffectual
This story was originally published on Retail Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Retail Dive newsletter. Victoria's Secret & Co.'s CEO Hillary Super is under fire just nine months into her tenure from an investor who would like to see the lingerie giant step back into the past. In a letter to the retailer's board chair this week, Barington Capital Group Chairman and CEO James Mitarotonda advocated for bringing back the lingerie giant's 'iconic Angels campaign' and shaking up its board, and against its adoption of a poison pill last month to stave off a hostile takeover. He criticized Super as having limited leadership experience, especially at a public company or in intimates, and has demonstrated 'a troubling lack of strategic focus.' Super arrived in September after serving as Savage x Fenty CEO for about a year. In April she brought on Adam Selman, previously chief design officer for Savage X Fenty, to be executive creative director. Victoria's Secret & Co. in an email to Retail Dive expressed confidence in its 'strategy under the new and experienced leadership team' and said that, while Barington hasn't sought to engage with the company, it was open to a discussion. Mitarotonda gave Barington Capital props for L Brand's stock performance of several years ago. The firm was advising the L Brands board until the once-mammoth apparel conglomerate formally spun off Victoria's Secret in 2021. Since then the lingerie company has lost over $2.4 billion in shareholder value, he wrote. As of Friday Barington owned more than 1% of Victoria's Secret & Co.'s outstanding common stock. 'We can't bring back the Angels because we're not in that time, and that's what shot down Victoria's Secret in the first place." Jessica Ramírez Co-founder and Managing Director, The Consumer Collective The company was losing market share back then, too, however, and Barington's idea to revive the old Angels campaign would be shortsighted, according to Jessica Ramírez, co-founder and managing director of The Consumer Collective advisory firm. The brand's share losses continued through its most recent quarter. 'We can't bring back the Angels because we're not in that time, and that's what shot down Victoria's Secret in the first place,' she said. 'They didn't catch up with the times, they didn't want to innovate. To want to bring back the exact same model, the exact same messaging, from when it was successful — you have to understand that the '90s and the 2000s were a different time. That go-to-market strategy isn't going to work today.' The Angels did return last fall after a six-year hiatus, but that was a lower-key, more inclusive event, she said by phone. Mitarotonda also had linguistic criticisms, slamming 'internal rhetoric referring to senior leadership as a 'super squad'' as 'arrogant and unjustified given the company's declining performance.' He said it was surprising that executives 'expressed satisfaction' during the company's most recent earnings call, counting 14 mentions of being 'pleased' or 'proud.' Barington is unlikely to let up the pressure any time soon, according to Jason Schloetzer, a professor at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, who called the firm's letter 'a shot across the bow to an underperforming management team.' 'Underperforming management typically strikes a tone of seriousness and concern, so Barington may be pointing out that routinely mentioning how 'proud' management is with the company's current performance, which appears to be less than super, is well out of step with reality,' Schloetzer said by email. 'If there isn't some combination of a change to strategic direction, modest evidence of leadership change, and a tweak to board composition after this letter, I suspect Barington will make another move to shake up the company.' But it's too soon to judge Super, according to Ramírez. It will be a full year before the results of her team's efforts will be truly evident, she said. 'Victoria's Secret still has large market share, and it's a big brand, but the reality is, it has definitely lost a lot of the market and it is out of touch. They have a bunch of issues with quality, design, marketing — and while it's better, it's still not the best,' she said. In its email Wednesday, Victoria's Secret acknowledged the need for further improvement but said it's making inroads. 'As outlined on our March and June earnings calls, bras and beauty are at the center of the Victoria's Secret Path to Potential strategy, and these efforts are showing momentum in spite of the challenging market environment,' the company said. 'While we have more work to do, we are already delivering meaningful progress, including exceeding revenue and adjusted operating income guidance in the first quarter.' Recommended Reading Adidas says its Yeezy partnership is 'under review' Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
