New Accounting Pronouncements (Notes)

12 Months Ended

Jan. 28, 2017

New Accounting Pronouncements Text Block [Abstract]

New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Text Block]

New Accounting Pronouncements

Revenue from Contracts with Customers

In May 2014, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ("FASB") issued Accounting Standards Update ("ASU") No. 2014-09, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, which has been further clarified and amended in 2015 and 2016. This guidance requires companies to recognize revenue in a manner that depicts the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in amounts that reflect the consideration to which a company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The new standard also will result in enhanced disclosures about the nature, amount, timing and uncertainty of revenue and cash flows arising from contracts with customers. This guidance will be effective beginning in fiscal 2018, with early adoption as of fiscal 2017 permitted. The standard allows for either a full retrospective or a modified retrospective transition method.

The Company continues to evaluate the impacts of this standard. The most significant changes to current accounting relate to the points earned under the Victoria's Secret customer loyalty program and the accounting for sales returns. The new standard will require a deferral of revenue associated with loyalty points using a relative fair value approach, and also requires sales returns to be presented on a gross basis with the sales refund liability presented separately from the return asset. The Company is continuing to evaluate the further impacts the standard will have on the Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income, Balance Sheets and Statements of Cash Flows. The Company will adopt the standard in the first quarter of fiscal 2018, and is currently evaluating the transition method.

Leases

In February 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-02, Leases. This guidance requires companies classified as lessees to put most leases on their balance sheets but recognize expenses on their income statements in a manner similar to today’s accounting. The new standard also will result in enhanced quantitative and qualitative disclosures, including significant judgments made by management, to provide greater insight into the extent of revenue and expense recognized and expected to be recognized from existing leases. The standard requires modified retrospective adoption and will be effective beginning in fiscal 2019, with early adoption permitted.

The Company is currently evaluating the impacts that this standard will have on its Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income, Balance Sheets and Statements of Cash Flows, including period of adoption. The Company currently expects that most of its operating lease commitments will be subject to the new standard and recognized as operating lease liabilities and right-of-use assets upon adoption. Thus, the Company expects adoption will result in a material increase to the assets and liabilities on the Consolidated Balance Sheet.

Simplifying the Presentation of Share-Based Compensation

In March 2016, the FASB issued ASU No. 2016-09, Improvements to Employee Share-Based Payment Accounting. This guidance requires companies to recognize income tax effects of awards in the income statement when the awards vest or are settled. It also will allow an employer to repurchase more of an employee’s shares than it can today for tax withholding purposes without triggering liability accounting and to make a policy election to account for forfeitures as they occur. The standard also will require all tax-related cash flows resulting from share-based payments to be reported as operating activities on the statements of cash flows, and any cash payments made to taxing authorities on an employee's behalf as financing activities. The standard is effective beginning in fiscal 2017.

This standard is expected to result in increased volatility to the income tax expense in future periods dependent upon, among other variables, the price of the Company's common stock and the timing and volume of share-based payment award activity, such as employee exercises of stock options and vesting of restricted stock awards. Further, the standard is expected to impact the operating and financing cash flows on the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. The Company does not expect any further material impacts on its Consolidated Statements of Income and Comprehensive Income, Balance Sheets and Statements of Cash Flows. The Company will adopt ASU 2016-09 in the first quarter of 2017.