Why Bath and Body Works Lost Its Scent With Shoppers (November 20, 2025)

Bath and Body Works used to own the mall fragrance space. Now traffic is shrinking, margins are squeezed and a new CEO is blaming the old playbook.

In this episode, we break down what went wrong and whether the turnaround plan has a real shot.

We cover:

• How chasing “adjacent” categories like shampoo and laundry backfired
• Why discounting destroys price integrity in a brand-led business
• The missed opportunity in e-commerce and Amazon resellers
• What Bath and Body Works can learn from Walmart, Target and TJX
• How to think about profit from the core in your own business

If you want to sharpen your operator brain and see how a real consumer brand tries to pull out of a stall, this one is for you.

Partner Links:

• Learn more about NordStellar's Threat Exposure Management Program; unlock 20% off with code BLACKFRIDAY20 until Dec. 10, 2025

Chapters:

• 00:30 Introduction to Bath and Body Worksv
• 06:37 Analyzing Bath and Body Works' Strategy
• 11:40 Challenges in Product Expansion
• 17:32 E-commerce Strategy and Customer Engagement
• 27:34 Future Outlook

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