Good vibrations get better for Ann
Amid burgeoning sales at the Cork, Dublin and Limerick stores, pleasure retailer boss Jacqueline Gold has pledged to introduce Galway and Waterford to her stimulating bag of tricks.
“I am delighted with the continued growth here,” said Ms Gold. “The Dublin and Cork stores continue to trade brilliantly and we have recently added another store in Limerick. Ireland is a major growth area for us, and I am now looking at opening a further five stores in Ireland, with Galway and Waterford next.”
Ms Gold says we just can’t get enough of Ann Summers, evidenced in a total turnover for Irish operations of €3.8m, up from €3.4m for the year to the end of June 2004.
The shops, a saucy mix of scintillating lingerie and titillating sex toys, saw revenue surge 20% to more than €2m, and an increase in profits of 23%. Overall pretax profits fell to €1.4m from €1.6m - but this was due to investment in the new stores in Cork and Limerick.
Ann Summers’ PR man, the elegantly named Ghislain Pascal, proclaimed himself unable to reveal all of the new locations in the chain’s expansion plan, but said agents had been appointed to scour Waterford and Galway for the perfect (G) spot.
Meantime, Holy Ireland has embraced Ann Summers aphrodisiac offerings, taking the Platinum Rampant Rabbit to best-seller status. Number two on the list, for artistic endeavour, is Chocolate Body Paint followed at number three by pin-up lingerie. Still in the Top 10 and in descending order comes pleasure gel; the Love Bug vibrator; sweetheart lingerie; thrill lingerie, and at number eight, Red Hot and Rude Positions book.
Little Miss Summers lingerie pitches in at ninth spot and last, but not least, the bunny babe outfit.
With a sales force of over 7,500 women as party planners (including 300 in Ireland), and with 122 stores and total sales of £155m a year, Ann Summers is basking in the glow of good vibrations.
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