Panties and bras support L Brands in December

The 2014 holiday season was a perky one at L Brands, as sales increased beyond expectations in December.

The parent company of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works reported that same store sales across the company increased by 4% for the month.Wall Street analysts had been predicting a 3.6% increase.

Total sales across all brands for December were $2.2 billion, up from $2.1 billion at the same time a year ago. At Victoria’s Secret, where comps increased 3%, “we managed promotional activity and inventories throughout December well, and we are well-positioned for the transition to spring,” said Amie Preston, chief investor relations officer for L Brands.

Bath & Body Works showed a 5% rise in same store sales, well above the 3.8% increase expected by Wall Street.

L Brands, through Victoria's Secret, PINK, Bath & Body Works, La Senza and Henri Bendel, operates 2,975 specialty stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and its brands are sold in more than 600 additional franchised locations worldwide.