Bath & Body Works

Last Christmas, my preteen's favorite present was a gift card to Bath & Body Works. A generous aunt loaded her up with $50 to splurge on sweet-smelling lotions and soaps. Who knew baths and showers could be so much fun, or so expensive?

In the past, parents would cajole kids into bathing with basic shampoo, soap and water. Then the kids would be sent to school, uphill in the snow both ways.

All that has changed, and Bath & Body Works started it.

A Fragrant Fad

Aromatherapy is in, and folks of all ages are getting their bodies squeaky clean, along with their wallets! Cleanliness is a lot more enjoyable these days than it used to be, but the aromatic pleasure certainly comes with a price tag!

For the most part, products for children echo adult-oriented counterparts: shampoo, body wash, lotion, bath salts, antibacterial hand-gel, body mist, cologne colorful sponges, loofahs, and more. In addition, kids can find crayon soaps, finger-paint bath gel, and animal-shaped soaps. Fragrances may include fruits, flowers, candies, popcorn, bubble-gum, and a host of other favorites.

Geared for Growth

Since 1990, when Leslie Wexner opened the first Bath & Body Works in New Albany, Ohio, consumers of all ages have been crazy for upscale soaps, bubble baths, and other fragrant bath items.

Several years ago, Bath & Body Works (the largest US retailer of designer bath products) devoted an entire section of each store (about 1/3 of the available floor space) to items for children. Kids will pay $4.50 for flavored lip balm and $12 for scented body splash, without batting a glitter-mascara-covered eyelash.

Bath & Body Works even began hosting birthday parties in their stores, where kids can sample a variety of products and assemble their own take-home party gift bags.

Gee, who needs to build a stuffed bunny, when you can slather yourself with green clover/aloe strawberry/lemonade or cinnamon/pumpkin body lotion? After all, it's anti-bacterial!

Upper-Crust Cleanliness

Gourmet bathing is the rave in our spa-crazed culture. (Gourmet EVERYTHING is in!) Swilling a designer chilled coffee, a kid may stroll through nearly any community and find independent or franchise stores touting their exclusive line of high-class hygiene. Most offer "Try Me" samples to lure tactile-oriented tourists.

Of course, the most prevalent and popular of all of these is the ever-present Bath & Body Works. Sure, you can find cheaper items at discount stores. You can even spot scented soaps and lotions at dollar stores. But you'll never fool a preteen with wannabee products.

"Can we go in? Please?"

If you pack a car with preteen girls, you can hardly drive through any town without passing the tell-tale red-checkered awning. Walk through nearly any shopping mall, and you will find another one.

Who can resist those sweet pre-adolescent pleas? Of course, you will have to drive home with all the can windows open, even in January. Those trial scents will compete for air time in your vehicle. If you thought you could escape unscented, think again. The uber-helpful sales professionals almost accost you with aromatherapy, as you enter the store.

Someday, anthropologists may find it fascinating that an entire generation of video-game-playing kids, who hardly ever get their fingernails dirty, are willing to shell out so much to get clean!

Company Data

A quick GOOGLE search indicates that Bath & Body Works now has 16,000 retail locations in the US, including seven factory outlet stores. Their annual sales reached $2.3 billion in 2006. (Looks like there's big money in bathing!) Bath & Body Works is owned by Limited Brands. Sister companies include The Limited, Victoria's Secret, Express, Henri Bendel, C.O. Bigelow, and White Barn Candle Co.