Sales down 2.3% while Amazon sales tripled
Bath & Body Works reported second-quarter fiscal 2026 net sales of $1.5 billion (approximately KRW 2.07 trillion), down 2.3% year over year. Even so, CEO Daniel Heaf said the 'Consumer First Formula' turnaround strategy launched this year is on track for a multi-year, sustainable return to growth. The evidence he cited first was not the stores, but the performance of a newly opened distribution channel.
According to Heaf, since launching a curated selection on Amazon in February, Amazon sales tripled in the second quarter compared to the first quarter. He said the Amazon channel is drawing younger, wealthier new customers than the company's own site, and that average unit retail (AUR, the average price a customer pays per item) is also higher than on existing channels. The partnership that placed products in Ulta Beauty stores starting in July is still in its early stages, but he said consumer response to the trial-size products has been strong.
Heaf drew a clear line that neither channel cannibalizes store sales, distinguishing Amazon's role as convenience and Ulta's as experience and discovery. In the second quarter, the company opened 24 new stores, mostly in off-mall locations, and closed 10 stores, mostly located in malls, while international partners opened 17 additional stores. During the same period, the company introduced Fruit Fusion, a new body care franchise fronted by its first major celebrity ambassador, Hilary Duff, supported by both social creator campaigns and Amazon sales, and plans to add two new scents in the third quarter.
