La Senza
Canadian lingerie retailer offering women's intimate apparel, sleepwear, loungewear and related products through company-operated and franchised stores.
Last updated August 22, 2026
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Overview
La Senza is a Canadian fashion retailer specializing in women's lingerie and intimate apparel. Founded in 1990 by Laurence Lewin and Irving Teitelbaum, the business established a broad Canadian store network and developed a brand identity centered on fashionable, sensual and accessible intimates. Its core assortment has included bras, panties, sleepwear, loungewear, daywear, swimwear and accessories. The company expanded substantially through both corporate stores and international franchising. At its peak in January 2009, La Senza had 322 corporate-owned stores in Canada and 497 franchised international locations, for a reported worldwide total of 819 stores. The brand was particularly prominent in the Canadian lingerie market, but later faced increasing competition from La Vie en Rose and other specialty retailers. Its Canadian footprint contracted sharply during the 2010s, with the closure of more than two-thirds of its domestic locations by 2013. Reported factors included assortment decisions that reduced emphasis on products such as pyjamas and efforts to avoid overlapping categories with Victoria's Secret, another lingerie business owned by its then-parent company. In October 2006, L Brands, the Ohio-based owner of Victoria's Secret, acquired La Senza for C$710 million in cash. During the L Brands period, La Senza remained a distinct brand but was managed within a wider portfolio of intimate-apparel concepts. It made limited efforts to enter or re-enter the United States, including experimental stores opened in 2016, although those locations were no longer operating by 2022. L Brands sold the La Senza business to Regent, a Beverly Hills-based private-equity firm, in January 2019. Under Regent, the brand continued to operate company-owned stores in Canada and the United States while using franchise partners in other regions. The international franchise model has supported locations across the Middle East, North Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southeast Asia. The brand's international structure has also included separate franchise and operating arrangements, notably in the United Kingdom. La Senza has used fashion models, celebrity-linked collections and special product concepts to support its marketing. Earlier labels and formats included La Senza Girl, La Senza Express and La Senza Spirit, while 2008 launches included the Lola and Coco leisurewear collection and a collection associated with the Pussycat Dolls creator Robin Antin. The business has experienced substantial restructuring and financial pressure in some markets, including administrations involving the United Kingdom franchise operation and a 2020 legal effort by suppliers seeking an involuntary Chapter 7 bankruptcy petition. La Senza nevertheless remains an active lingerie retail brand, with its current store mix and geographic reach dependent on corporate operations and franchise partners.
History
La Senza was established in Canada in 1990 by Laurence Lewin and Irving Teitelbaum. The company built its identity around women's lingerie and intimate apparel, combining specialty retail with a fashion-led presentation. Its main assortment developed around bras and panties but expanded into sleepwear, loungewear, daywear, swimwear and accessories. The retailer's Canadian growth was accompanied by international franchising, allowing the brand to enter markets without owning every store directly. By January 2009, La Senza had reached its reported high-water mark of 819 locations worldwide: 322 corporate-owned Canadian stores and 497 franchised international stores. This made it one of the most prominent lingerie retailers in Canada. Its operating concept was often compared with Victoria's Secret, which later became significant because both brands were controlled by the same parent company for more than a decade. L Brands acquired La Senza in October 2006 for C$710 million in cash. The acquisition placed the Canadian company within a large United States-based specialty-retail group that already owned Victoria's Secret. La Senza continued to trade under its own name, while L Brands attempted to manage the relationship between its intimate-apparel businesses. During this period, some product and category decisions were intended to reduce duplication with Victoria's Secret. The brand also reduced its Canadian store base, and by 2013 it had closed more than two-thirds of its Canadian locations. Contemporary comments from L Brands executives acknowledged some optimism but also dissatisfaction with the results. La Senza's contraction occurred amid strong competition from La Vie en Rose and other lingerie retailers. The brand was also reported to have discontinued or reduced emphasis on categories valued by Canadian customers, including pyjamas. Its United States presence was limited and episodic: La Senza operated in the country from 2000 to 2006, and later tested new stores in 2016, including locations in Ohio, Illinois and Indiana. Those experimental stores were no longer operating by 2022. The business continued to rely on international franchise relationships. The United Kingdom and Ireland operation became a prominent separate franchise business under businessman Theo Paphitis, who later sold it to Lion Capital in 2006. La Senza UK entered administration in December 2011 amid difficult trading conditions. Alshaya acquired exclusive UK franchise rights in January 2012 and planned to retain 60 stores and invest in new collections and store redesigns. The UK operation subsequently encountered further difficulties and entered another administration process in 2014 under Marnixheath. L Brands later acquired the assets and intellectual property of the UK business. In January 2019, L Brands sold the La Senza business to Regent. The brand thereafter operated independently of L Brands, with company-owned stores in Canada and the United States and franchise stores in other international markets. A 2020 bankruptcy-related dispute involving suppliers reflected continuing financial pressure, although the brand remained active. La Senza has also maintained manufacturing and sourcing relationships in countries including India and has used international retail and franchise arrangements to distribute its products. Its broader brand history includes youth and category extensions such as La Senza Girl, La Senza Express and La Senza Spirit, as well as fashion-model endorsements and celebrity-linked collections.
- 2020
Suppliers pursue bankruptcy action
[1]Suppliers sought Chapter 7 proceedings, citing unpaid rent at several locations.
- 2019
Regent becomes owner
[1]L Brands sold the La Senza business to Regent.
- 2014
Further UK administration
[1]The struggling UK operation entered another administration process while operating under Marnixheath.
- 2012
Alshaya takes UK franchise rights
[1]Alshaya acquired exclusive UK franchise rights and announced plans to retain 60 stores and approximately 1,100 jobs.
- 2011
La Senza UK enters administration
[1]The UK franchise business entered administration and announced plans to close 80 stores amid difficult trading conditions.
- 2009
Peak reported store network
[1]The business reached a reported 819 locations worldwide, including 322 corporate-owned stores in Canada and 497 international franchise stores.
- 2008
Launch of Lola and Coco leisurewear
[1]La Senza introduced the Lola and Coco leisurewear collection and promoted it with British dance group Booty Luv.
- 2006
Acquisition by L Brands
[1]L Brands purchased La Senza for C$710 million in cash.
- 1990
First La Senza store opens in Canada
[1]Laurence Lewin and Irving Teitelbaum founded La Senza and opened the company's first store in Canada.
Products and positioning
Accessible, fashion-oriented lingerie and intimate apparel with a sensual and trend-conscious aesthetic.
Lingerie
Bras
Bras are one of La Senza's principal product categories and a central part of its specialty-lingerie proposition. The brand has presented bras in fashion-oriented collections alongside coordinated panties and other intimate apparel.
Lingerie
Panties
Panties form a core La Senza category and are commonly sold as coordinated or complementary pieces to the brand's bra collections. The assortment supports both everyday intimates and more fashion-led offerings.
Nightwear
Sleepwear and pyjamas
La Senza has offered sleepwear and pyjamas as part of its nightwear assortment. Pyjamas were specifically identified as a product category whose reduced emphasis was associated with the brand's Canadian decline during the L Brands period.
Apparel · 2008
Loungewear and daywear
The brand's product scope extends beyond intimate apparel to loungewear and daywear. These products broaden the retail proposition and include leisure-oriented apparel such as the Lola and Coco collection.
Activewear
La Senza Spirit
La Senza Spirit was an activewear-oriented extension of the brand. It represented an attempt to apply the La Senza name beyond traditional lingerie and nightwear.
Youth apparel
La Senza Girl
La Senza Girl was a youth-focused clothing-store concept associated with the wider La Senza brand portfolio. It extended the business toward younger customers and apparel beyond the core lingerie offer.
Specialty lingerie retail
La Senza Express
La Senza Express was a smaller-format retail concept focused on bras and panties. It was one of the additional store formats previously operated under the La Senza name.
Controversies
2020
Supplier bankruptcy petition
Suppliers sought to force La Senza into Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings, alleging failures to pay rent at several locations. The available source does not establish the final legal outcome.
2014
Second UK administration
The UK operation entered administration again in 2014 after continued trading difficulties. At that point it was reported to operate 55 stores and employ 752 people.
2011
La Senza UK administration
La Senza UK entered administration in December 2011, citing difficult trading conditions and announcing plans to close 80 stores. The process affected approximately 2,600 employees across stores and concessions.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Lola and Coco
United Kingdom · International
La Senza launched the Lola and Coco leisurewear collection and promoted it with British dance group Booty Luv.
Outcome. The collection is documented as a brand extension, but the available source does not provide verified sales or long-term performance results.
- 2008Pussycat Dolls-inspired collection
International
La Senza introduced a collection inspired by the Pussycat Dolls and designed by Robin Antin, the group's creator. The collection used fabrics imported from Italy and Spain.
Outcome. The available source confirms the launch but does not report verified commercial results.
Brand decisions
2019
Sell La Senza to RegentM&ABackground
L Brands divested La Senza after years of store closures and portfolio restructuring.
Action taken
L Brands sold the La Senza business to Regent, a private-equity firm.
Aftermath
La Senza continued as an independently owned brand using company-operated stores and international franchise partners.
2016
Test United States storesStrategyBackground
After an earlier United States presence from 2000 to 2006, La Senza tested whether renewed physical retail could support expansion in the country.
Action taken
The company opened experimental stores in Columbus, Ohio; Orland Park, Illinois; and Merrillville, Indiana.
Aftermath
The experimental locations were no longer operating by 2022.
2013
Reduce the Canadian store portfolioStrategyBackground
La Senza faced competition from La Vie en Rose and other lingerie retailers, while L Brands reviewed product and store overlap within its intimate-apparel portfolio.
Action taken
The business closed more than two-thirds of its Canadian locations by 2013 and reduced emphasis on some categories, including pyjamas.
Aftermath
La Senza lost much of its former Canadian retail dominance and continued with a smaller domestic footprint.
- La Vie en Rose — The available source identifies La Vie en Rose as a major competitor contributing to intensified competition, but does not document a specific public reaction.
2006
Join the L Brands portfolioM&ABackground
La Senza was an established Canadian lingerie retailer, while L Brands already operated Victoria's Secret and other specialty retail businesses.
Action taken
L Brands acquired La Senza for C$710 million in cash.
Aftermath
La Senza operated as a distinct brand within L Brands. The parent later adjusted its store footprint and product categories amid competition and overlap concerns.
Acquisition price. C$710 million (October 2006)
Sources2 sources
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