We compared Victoria's Secret stores in the US vs the UK: Photos - Business Insider

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• Victoria's Secret is a global beauty and lingerie brand that operates around 1,400 stores globally.
• The company has struggled to adapt to shifting beauty standards and changing consumer demands.
• Insider visited two stores, one in the United Kingdom and the other in the United States.

Victoria's Secret is a global beauty and lingerie brand that's long been synonymous with its now defunct "Angels" and extravagant fashion shows.

The brand first came on the scene in 1977 and later became a staple in shopping malls. However in recent years, owing to internal struggles and changing beauty standards, the company has experienced a number of difficulties as its tried to shed its overtly sexy image.

In 2020, the company shuttered 250 stores in the United States and Canada. A year later, Victoria's Secret's former parent company L Brands spun off the retailer. The newly-independent company now says it operates around 1,400 locations worldwide. 

Currently, the company is pushing to change its image to a more relaxed, accessible, and inclusive style. But not every location has made the shift yet.

Insider recently visited two Victoria's Secret stores to check-in on the transformation. We visited a shop in the United Kingdom and a location in the United States. Here's what we saw:

The Victoria's Secret in the UK that we visited was located in a city-center shopping mall in Leeds, northern England.

Trinity Leeds, a large shopping mall.

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The Victoria's Secret store was easy to spot thanks to its signature bright pink exterior.

The exterior of a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds, northern England.

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There were a couple of small displays showing some of its products, but most of the wall space was taken up by the pink wall, and the displays didn't seem as festive compared to the other stores in the mall.

A shopper walks past a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds.

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The central display focused on what Victoria's Secret is most famous for — lingerie.

The entrance of a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds.

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The interior was very dark, with a lot of black furniture and dim lights.

Displays in a Leeds Victoria's Secret store.

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The inside of the store seemed very carefully curated, like these digital screens on either side of the entrance, with the company's perfumes displayed underneath.

A photo display in a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds, northern England.

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Sections of the store were dedicated to sleepwear ...

Clothing displayed on the wall in a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds.

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... and perfume and beauty products ...

Products on a shelf in a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds.

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... though it mainly showcased Victoria's Secret's lingerie.

The interior of a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds, northern England.

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There was an area dedicated to Victoria's Secret's more sexy lingerie, too.

Mannequins display different lingerie options in a Victoria's Secret in Leeds, northern England.

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Not all the items were so sexy, though.

White bras, shirts, and robes hang on the wall in a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds, northern England.

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Under each display were rows of drawers ...

Tables containing rows of large drawers in a Leeds Victoria's Secret.

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... which store products, sorted by size.

A drawer of underwear in a Victoria's Secret store in Leeds, northern England.

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A lot of the drawers seemed mostly empty, though ...