Autobiography

In those early days it was difficult to open
stores. Of the existing six, four we owned and
two had long leases. Some landlords didn’t
want us as tenants because we were seen to
be opening sex shops, and many local councils
were totally against us. We wanted to expand
but we couldn’t, as there was considerable
resistance. But there were other, more
enlightened, landlords who could see the
potential and seized the opportunity.
In 1993 we opened a brand-new store in
Southampton, on Above Bar Street. The
landlord supported us after seeing our
refurbished Bristol store for himself. It was an
instant success, despite its poor position on the
high street. It gave us a further chance to
promote the brand and change the perception
of the image.
We still came up against bigots, of course.
When we were ready to move into the Glades
shopping centre in Bromley, we were told we
couldn’t use the Ann Summers name and we
couldn’t stock sex toys. They clearly did not
understand the business or our customers. So
we said, ‘Thanks, but no thanks,’ and opened a
store on the high street just outside the
Glades.
Ten years on, they offered us a prominent
position in their mall, with no conditions. We
will eventually take them up on their offer
because our successful Bromley store is only
800 square feet and we now need a minimum
of 2,000 square feet, preferably 2,500, so that
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