Les Wexner earned the nickname “King of Columbus” because of the immense economic, cultural, and political footprint he left on the city of Columbus, Ohio. As the founder of The Limited in 1963, which later became L Brands, Wexner transformed a single women’s clothing store into a retail juggernaut that included brands like Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and Express. His success generated enormous wealth, much of which he funneled back into his hometown through philanthropy, real estate development, and civic influence. Wexner’s donations helped shape major institutions, including Ohio State University and the Columbus Foundation, while entire areas of Columbus’ expansion were tied to his investments and leadership. This combination of business dominance and local control made him, for decades, the city’s unofficial monarch — the “King of Columbus.”


In recent years, however, Les Wexner has steadily reduced his financial footprint in L Brands, the company that built his empire. By mid-2021, he had sold off a massive portion of his holdings — unloading approximately $2.7 billion worth of stock — leaving him with only about a 2 percent stake in the company he once commanded. The sales came amid L Brands’ restructuring and the eventual separation of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works into standalone companies. With those divestments, Wexner’s era as a retail titan effectively closed, signaling a retreat from the empire he had ruled for nearly six decades.


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