Ann Summers

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Ann Summers Ltd
Company typePrivate Ltd
Industry Retail
Founded1970, London
Founder Michael Caborn-Waterfield
Headquarters Whyteleafe, Surrey, UK
Number of locations
80 high street stores
Area served
 United Kingdom
Ireland
Channel Islands
Key people
 Maria Hollins (CEO) [1]
Vanessa Gold (Chair)
Products Clothing
Sex toys
Revenue£109.96 million (2018) [2]
Website www.annsummers.com
Ann Summers store in Huddersfield Ann Summers - The Piazza Centre - geograph.org.uk - 1700592.jpg
Ann Summers store in Huddersfield
Ann Summers store in London Ann-Summers-1.jpg
Ann Summers store in London
Ann Summers store in Hull Ann Summers Shop - geograph.org.uk - 242230.jpg
Ann Summers store in Hull

Ann Summers is a British multinational retailer company specialising in sex toys and lingerie, with 80 high street stores in the UK, Ireland, and the Channel Islands. [3] In 2000, Ann Summers acquired the Knickerbox brand, [4] a label with an emphasis on more comfortable and feminine underwear, while the Ann Summers-labelled products tend to be more erotic in style. The chain had an annual turnover of £117.3 million in 2007–2008.

Contents

History

The company was named after Annice Summers, the female secretary of the male founder, Michael Caborn-Waterfield.

Annice Summers was born Annice Goodwin in 1941, but later took her stepfather's surname. She left the company soon after it opened, following a row with Caborn-Waterfield. She went to live in Umbria, Italy, two hours from Rome, and died of cancer in October 2012. [5]

In 2000, Ann Summers acquired the underwear brand Knickerbox for an undisclosed sum. However, in 2014 they announced plans to sell the brand. [6]

Retail

The first Ann Summers shop was opened in 1970 in Marble Arch, London, from which it grew to six shops.

Ann Summers was purchased in 1971 by brothers Ralph and David Gold, [7] who turned it from a standard sex shop into an established high street brand and lingerie boutique. In 1981, David Gold installed his daughter Jacqueline Gold (who was the Executive Chair of Ann Summers) [8] and she introduced the Party Plan concept. The retail operations for all of Ann Summers' shops are managed from their Head Office in Whyteleafe, Surrey and, as of December 2010, Ann Summers operated 144 retail outlets across the UK, Ireland, the Channel Islands and Spain.

The shops offer lingerie, underwear, cosmetics, swimwear and sex toys. The stores sell two million Rampant Rabbits, a kind of vibrator developed by Jacqueline Gold, [9] per year. [10]

Ann Summers parties

Jacqueline Gold initiated the Party Plan concept in 1981. [10] Initially, the Ann Summers parties were as much a way of circumventing regulations restricting the display of sex toys as they were a marketing tactic, but their popularity quickly grew and Ann Summers now employs over 7,500 Party Organisers, [11] coordinated from the Head Office in Surrey. There were around 4,000 Ann Summers parties every week in the UK in 2003. [12]

The Ann Summers parties [12] include the presentation of sex toys and lingerie in the informal setting of someone's home, usually the home of one of the attendees. It can also involve the perusal of a catalogue, and often there are party games. [13]

Controversy

Due to the adult nature of the business, Ann Summers has frequently faced opposition, both legal and social. For example, in 2003, they won a legal battle to advertise for employees in job centres [14] and an ASA complaint was rejected. [15]

They have also encountered opposition to their advertising. The company received a letter of complaint from Buckingham Palace, due to a non-endorsed advertisement featuring the Queen. [16]

In 2003, the company's payments to party organisers were discussed by a number of media sources. [17]

In 2004, two complaints were upheld by the ASA. [18] The ASA decided that the first ad was degrading to women, offensive and unsuitable for use as a poster. In the second case the ASA ruled that the use of a reference to the nursery rhyme "Ride a Cock Horse" was likely to attract the attention of children and that the advertisement was unsuitable for the medium in which it appeared.

An Ann Summers lingerie factory in Portsmouth closed in 2005, with over 50 redundancies. [19]

Additionally, Ann Summers in Perth, Scotland, was forced to close after the local people complained about the store (mostly from parents embarrassed by questions raised by their children), which also led to other problems with the store. [20] Perth was originally the only UK town where an Ann Summers store failed to take off. [21] However, in May 2007 the Middleton Grange, Hartlepool store which opened in November 2005 was closed after less than two years of trading due to poor sales. [22]

In 2006, Muslim groups complained about the release of a blow-up doll named Mustafa Shag, claiming that the doll was offensive to Muslims as Mustafa was one of the names given to the Prophet Mohamed. [23]

In 2007, the company faced legal issues with Apple Inc due to its release of an electronic add-on to music players called the iGasm. The company has not backed down despite cease-and-desist orders by Apple. [24] Also, a former director, who is now a Beate Uhse AG employee [25] is pursuing a libel claim against Jacqueline Gold. [26] An advertisement was banned from the London Underground in the same year. [27]

In 2010, Ann Summers' Halloween advertisement was banned by the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre, which decided the advertisement used "fairly overt sexual references in terms of sound effects." [28]

In 2011 an advertising campaign which featured a pastiche of a Marks and Spencer advertisement was withdrawn after a threat of legal action by M&S. [29]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bikini</span> Two-piece swimwear

A bikini is a two-piece swimsuit primarily worn by women that features one piece on top that covers the breasts, and a second piece on the bottom: the front covering the pelvis but usually exposing the navel, and the back generally covering the intergluteal cleft and some or all of the buttocks. The size of the top and bottom can vary, from bikinis that offer full coverage of the breasts, pelvis, and buttocks, to more revealing designs with a thong or G-string bottom that covers only the mons pubis, but exposes the buttocks, and a top that covers only the areolae. Bikini bottoms covering about half the buttocks may be described as "Brazilian-cut".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lingerie</span> Womens undergarments including sleepwear

Lingerie is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments, sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashionable, or both. In a 2015 US survey, 75% of women reported having worn "sexy lingerie" in their lifetime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sex shop</span> Retailer of adult erotic entertainment products

A sex shop is a retailer that sells products related to adult sexual or erotic entertainment, such as sex toys, lingerie, pornography, and other related products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agent Provocateur (lingerie)</span> Lingerie company

Agent Provocateur is a British lingerie retailer founded in 1994 by Joseph Corré and Serena Rees. The company has stores in 13 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Gold (businessman)</span> British businessman (1936–2023)

David Gold was a British businessman who owned Gold Star Publications and Sport Newspapers. He was the chairman of Birmingham City Football Club until 2009. From 2010 to his death in 2023, he was the joint chairman of West Ham United.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beate Uhse Group BV</span> German adult entertainment retailer

Beate Uhse Group BV is a German industry group which focuses on selling adult entertainment in the form of sex toys, lingerie, clothing and pornography. It is the most successful company in the German sex industry, and the country's leading pornography retailer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Committee of Advertising Practice</span> Advertising regulation authority in the United Kingdom

The Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) is a British organisation responsible for the UK Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising, Sales Promotion and Direct Marketing, which is the main code of practice for self-regulation of the non-broadcast advertising industry in the UK.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fast food advertising</span> Promotion for fast food

Fast food advertising promotes fast food products and utilizes numerous aspects to reach out to the public.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erotixxx Award</span> German pornographic film awards

The Erotixxx Award is a film award in the adult film industry presented by German magazine eLine. Between 2005 and 2009, the award was presented yearly as part of the Venus Berlin trade fair, an international trade festival of the erotic. The Erotixxx Award was the successor to the Venus Award, which had been presented until 2004 and then resumed in 2010. Starting in 2010, the Erotixxx Award became a part of the erotic fair eroFame in Hannover and, since 2011, it has only awarded innovative products, toys, and companies. During the Venus Berlin years, prizewinners were chosen by a jury and by a ballot of webmasters or registered users of several German erotic websites. Since that time, they have been chosen by the editorial staff of eLine and EAN.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacqueline Gold</span> British businesswoman (1960–2023)

Jacqueline Gold was a British businesswoman who was the executive chair of Gold Group International, Ann Summers, and Knickerbox.

Lauren Gold is an English model and actress. She is most recognised as the DJ in Robbie Williams's "Rock DJ" music video as well as her recurring appearance in La Senza ad campaigns. Gold's best known acting role is Scarlett Rose in Sky One drama Dream Team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advertising Standards Authority (United Kingdom)</span> Advertising regulation authority in the United Kingdom

The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is the self-regulatory organisation of the advertising industry in the United Kingdom. The ASA is a non-statutory organisation and so cannot interpret or enforce legislation. However, its code of advertising practice broadly reflects legislation in many instances. The ASA is not funded by the British government, but by a levy on the advertising industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Underwear</span> Clothes worn under other clothes

Underwear, underclothing, or undergarments are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer clothing from being soiled or damaged by bodily excretions, to lessen the friction of outerwear against the skin, to shape the body, and to provide concealment or support for parts of it. In cold weather, long underwear is sometimes worn to provide additional warmth. Special types of undergarments have religious significance. Some items of clothing are designed as undergarments, while others, such as T-shirts and certain types of shorts, are appropriate both as underwear and outerwear. If made of suitable material or textile, some underwear can serve as nightwear or swimwear, and some undergarments are intended for sexual attraction or visual appeal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thong</span> Garment worn as underwear or as part of a swimsuit

The thong is a garment generally used as either underwear or in some countries, as a swimsuit. It may also be worn for traditional ceremonies or competitions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Victoria's Secret</span> American lingerie and cosmetics retailer

Victoria's Secret is an American lingerie, clothing and beauty retailer. Founded in 1977 by a Stanford Student and his wife, Roy and Gaye Raymond, the company's five lingerie stores were sold to Les Wexner in 1982. Wexner rapidly expanded into American shopping malls, growing the company into 350 stores nationally with sales of $1 billion by the early 1990s, when Victoria's Secret became the largest lingerie retailer in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Cohen</span> Australian fashion designer

Kay Cohen is an Australian fashion designer and business woman based in Sydney, Australia. Cohen has led a number of lingerie design brands, most notably as founder and creative director of Pleasure State and as general manager and creative director of Elle Macpherson Intimates. Cohen is the inventor of the Biofit uplift bra.

Ralph Gold is a British businessman. He is a former director of English football team, Birmingham City. Gold, along with his brother David, purchased the Ann Summers retail sex shop chain in 1971 and later acquired the Knickerbox brand in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Golding</span> Political party leader of Britain First (born 1982)

Paul Golding is a British political leader who has served as the leader of Britain First, a far-right political party in the United Kingdom. He grew up in Erith.

<i>Brief Encounters</i> (TV series) UK TV series (2016)

Brief Encounters is a British comedy-drama series created by Oriane Messina and Fay Rusling. The series is loosely based on Gold Group International CEO Jacqueline Gold's 1995 memoir, Good Vibrations, and details the beginning of the Ann Summers retailer company, through four women who see the potential of finding happiness and fulfillment by selling lingerie and sex toys to women in the privacy of their own homes. The series was produced by CPL Productions for broadcast on ITV and aired from 4 July to 8 August 2016. Filming took place between January and April 2016 in Sheffield. It was well received by critics. The show was cancelled by ITV two months after the airing of last episode.

Vanessa Gold is an English football club joint-chair and businesswoman. Gold was appointed to the board, as joint-chair, with David Sullivan of Premier League club West Ham United in August 2023.

References

  1. ↑ "About us - History of Ann Summers".
  2. ↑ "Turnover of Ann Summers worldwide from financial year 2010 to 2018". Statista. January 2019. Retrieved 28 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "Ann Summers Store Finder". Archived from the original on 25 December 2010. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  4. ↑ "Ann Summers to buy Knickerbox". BBC News. 3 April 2000. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  5. ↑ "MRS SEX; Girl behind Ann Summers legend is now rich recluse". 3 April 2000 – via The Free Library.
  6. ↑ Armstrong, Ashley (15 March 2014). "Ann Summers to sell Knickerbox". The Telegraph. Retrieved 19 March 2014.
  7. ↑ ZapelliA Web Solutions - www.zapellia.co.uk (31 March 2000). "The History of Ann Summers". Ann Summers Party Plan. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  8. ↑ "Ann Summers reshuffles top team". Drapers. 15 February 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2023.
  9. ↑ Lavinia, Emily (8 March 2024). "10 best rabbit vibrators that will help to intensify your solo pleasure". The Independent. Retrieved 11 December 2024.
  10. 1 2 "Jacqueline-Gold-profile-of-the-chief-executive-of-Ann-Summers". The Telegraph. London. 24 December 2010. Archived from the original on 30 January 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  11. ↑ "DB Consulting : Ann Summers" (PDF). Dbconsulting.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  12. 1 2 Oaff, Barbara (3 September 2003). "Ann Summers Party Organisers". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  13. ↑ "Ann Summers Catalogue pdf" (PDF). Ann Summers. 24 December 2010. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 July 2011. Retrieved 29 December 2010.
  14. ↑ "Sex toy chain overturns job adverts ban". Business.scotsman.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  15. ↑ "'Hotbot' adult poster banned". BBC News. 9 April 2003. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  16. ↑ Cozens, Claire (26 June 2002). "Queen is not amused by Ann Summers sex ad | Media | MediaGuardian". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  17. ↑ Barbara Oaff (9 February 2003). "Wage slaves: Ann Summers party organisers | Money | The Guardian". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  18. ↑ Archived 17 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  19. ↑ "Jobs fear at saucy lingerie plant". Portsmouth.co.uk. Archived from the original on 9 June 2010. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  20. ↑ "The latest news, sport, showbiz and comment from". the Sunday Mail. 11 August 2009. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  21. ↑ "The latest news, sport, showbiz and comment from". the Sunday Mail. 11 August 2009. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  22. ↑ Willis, Ian (15 May 2007). "It's the last of the Summers line". Hartlepool Mail. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  23. ↑ "Emma, Ann and a sex doll that upsets Muslims". London: News.independent.co.uk. 9 February 2006. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  24. ↑ "Apple v Ann Summers in iGasm spat". Macworld.co.uk. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  25. ↑ Michael Vaughan, Beate Uhse (30 October 2002). "Sex war threat haunts UK High Streets". BBC News. Retrieved 19 May 2010.
  26. ↑ Archived 23 June 2015 at the Wayback Machine
  27. ↑ "Ann Summers Rabbit ads banned from the Tube". 23 August 2007. Retrieved 9 February 2014.
  28. ↑ "Ann Summers has 'offensive' Halloween advert banned | Metro News". Metro.co.uk. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  29. ↑ "Ann Summers pulls Squeal Deal after M&S threats". 20 April 2011. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 9 February 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
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