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Description Of Business And Basis Of Presentation (Policy)
 6 Months Ended
Aug. 03, 2019
Description Of Business And Basis Of Presentation [Abstract]  
Description Of Business
Description of Business
L Brands, Inc. (“the Company”) operates in the highly competitive specialty retail business. The Company is a specialty retailer of women’s intimate and other apparel, personal care, beauty and home fragrance products. The Company sells its merchandise through company-owned specialty retail stores in the United States (“U.S.”), Canada, the United Kingdom (“U.K.”), Ireland and Greater China (China and Hong Kong), and through its websites and other channels. The Company's other international operations are primarily through franchise, license and wholesale partners. The Company currently operates the following retail brands:
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Victoria’s Secret
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PINK
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Bath & Body Works
Fiscal Year
Fiscal Year
The Company’s fiscal year ends on the Saturday nearest to January 31. As used herein, “second quarter of 2019” and “second quarter of 2018” refer to the thirteen-week periods ended August 3, 2019 and August 4, 2018, respectively. “Year-to-date 2019” and “year-to-date 2018” refer to the twenty-six-week periods ending August 3, 2019 and August 4, 2018, respectively.
Basis Of Consolidation
Basis of Consolidation
The Consolidated Financial Statements include the accounts of the Company and its subsidiaries. All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.
The Company accounts for investments in unconsolidated entities where it exercises significant influence, but does not have control, using the equity method. Under the equity method of accounting, the Company recognizes its share of the investee's net income or loss. Losses are only recognized to the extent the Company has positive carrying value related to the investee. Carrying values are only reduced below zero if the Company has an obligation to provide funding to the investee. The Company’s share of net income or loss of unconsolidated entities from which the Company purchases merchandise or merchandise components is included in Costs of Goods Sold, Buying and Occupancy in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company’s share of net income or loss of all other unconsolidated entities is included in Other Income (Loss) in the Consolidated Statements of Income. The Company’s equity method investments are required to be reviewed for impairment when it is determined there may be an other-than-temporary loss in value.
On January 6, 2019, the Company completed the sale of the La Senza business. For additional information, see Note 5, "Restructuring Activities."
Interim Financial Statements
Interim Financial Statements
The Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the periods ended August 3, 2019 and August 4, 2018 are unaudited and are presented pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). These Consolidated Financial Statements should be read in conjunction with the Consolidated Financial Statements and Notes thereto contained in the Company’s 2018 Annual Report on Form 10-K.
In the opinion of management, the accompanying Consolidated Financial Statements reflect all adjustments, which are of a normal recurring nature and necessary for a fair presentation of the results for the interim periods.
Seasonality Of Business
Seasonality of Business
Due to seasonal variations in the retail industry, the results of operations for any interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results expected for the full fiscal year.
Concentration Of Credit Risk
Concentration of Credit Risk
The Company maintains cash and cash equivalents and derivative contracts with various major financial institutions. The Company monitors the relative credit standing of financial institutions with whom the Company transacts and limits the amount of credit exposure with any one entity. Typically, the Company’s investment portfolio is primarily comprised of U.S. government obligations, U.S. Treasury and AAA-rated money market funds, commercial paper and bank deposits.
The Company also periodically reviews the relative credit standing of franchise, license and wholesale partners and other entities to which the Company grants credit terms in the normal course of business. The Company records an allowance for uncollectable accounts when it becomes probable that the counterparty will be unable to pay.
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements
Use of Estimates in the Preparation of Financial Statements
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements and the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting period, as well as the related disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the financial statements. Actual results may differ from those estimates, and the Company revises its estimates and assumptions as new information becomes available.
New Accounting Pronouncements New Accounting Pronouncements
Leases
In February 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 842, Leases, which requires companies classified as lessees to account for most leases on their balance sheets but recognize expenses on their income statements in a manner similar to legacy accounting. The standard also requires enhanced quantitative and qualitative disclosures, including significant judgments made by management, to provide greater insight into the extent of expense recognized and expected to be recognized from existing leases. In July 2018, the FASB approved an amendment to the standard that provides companies a modified retrospective transition option that did not require earlier periods to be restated upon adoption.
The Company adopted the standard in the first quarter of 2019 under the modified retrospective approach. As allowed by the new standard, the Company elected the package of transition practical expedients but elected to not apply the hindsight practical expedient to its leases at transition.
Upon adoption at the beginning of 2019, the Company recorded operating lease liabilities of $3.7 billion and operating lease assets for its leases of $3.3 billion. The operating lease assets are net of $470 million of liabilities for deferred rent and unamortized landlord construction allowances that were previously recorded as Other Long-term Liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet. The Company also recorded a decrease to opening retained earnings, net of tax, of $2 million. The adoption of the standard did not materially impact the Consolidated Statements of Income or Cash Flows. See Note 8, “Leases” for additional disclosure required by the new standard.

Hedging Activities
In August 2017, the FASB issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") 2017-12, Targeted Improvements to Accounting for Hedging Activities, which is intended to better align risk management activities and financial reporting for hedging relationships. The standard eliminates the requirement to separately measure and report hedge ineffectiveness and generally requires the entire change in the fair value of a hedging instrument to be presented in the same income statement line as the hedged item. It also eases certain documentation and assessment requirements. The Company adopted the standard in the first quarter of fiscal 2019. The adoption of this standard did not have a material impact on the Company's consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
Goodwill
In January 2017, the FASB issued ASU 2017-04, Simplifying the Test for Goodwill Impairment, which simplifies the subsequent measurement of goodwill. The standard eliminates the second step from the goodwill impairment test, which requires a hypothetical purchase price allocation to determine the implied fair value of goodwill. Under the new standard, the goodwill impairment charge will be the excess of the reporting unit's carrying value over its fair value, not to exceed the total amount of goodwill allocated to the reporting unit. This guidance will be effective beginning in fiscal 2020, with early adoption permitted. The Company does not expect this standard to have a material impact on its consolidated results of operations, financial position or cash flows.
Inventory
Inventories are principally valued at the lower of cost, on a weighted-average cost basis, or net realizable value.