On the record · Other
The Limited
Sun Capital extracted $42M dividend via borrowed money, making 1.8x return while the company died. All 250 stores closed. Sued for fraudulent transfer.
Research depth
Outcomes researched
Reviewed operating findings or a classified operating outcome are available.
Record updated Sept. 4, 2026
Current ownership
Current owner not established
This record does not identify a current owner. That absence is a gap in the record, not a conclusion about ownership.
1 ownership record has an unresolved current/former status.
Ownership and transaction history
Chronology from recorded ownership periods, transactions and reviewed outcome events. Event order does not imply causation.
Jan. 1, 2017
Operations ceased
Operating outcome
Oct. 20, 2017
Revival or successor activity recorded
Operating outcome
Date not recorded
What happened under and after ownership
Operating outcome
Ceased operations, then returned
Closed all of its own stores in January 2017 and filed for bankruptcy.
Sycamore Partners bought the e-commerce business and brand for $26.8 million at auction and relaunched thelimited.com in October 2017.
As of its October 2017 relaunch, sold exclusively as a private-label brand through Belk stores and belk.com, not as an independent retailer.
- Founded
- 1963
- Sponsor at closure
- Sun Capital Partners
- Retail Dive · Sycamore Partners auction win, e-commerce relaunch
- SEC (Limited Brands 8-K exhibit, company primary) · Limited Brands transferred a 75% stake in The Limited chain to Sun Capital Partners in August 2007; founded by Leslie Wexner in 1963
What we do not know
These are gaps in the public record, not findings about the organization.
- No current public ownership assessment has been published.
Help improve this record
Firsthand experience, public sources and corrections can help close the gaps above.