`Lingerie-with-attitude' shop opens

The Ann Summers "lingerie-with-attitude", or "absolutely-not-a-sex-shop" opened without so much as a raised eyebrow on Dublin's O'Connell Street yesterday afternoon.

"I think the corporation should come in here and see for themselves and I think they will feel pretty silly when they do," said Ms Jackie Gold who, as managing director of the business is Ann Summers made flesh, if you will pardon the pun.

Certainly the bright, newly painted shop was showing in its windows similar lingerie to that which was at the same time on display in the side window of Clery's, a few feet away.

"It is feminine, it is sexy, it's fun," said Jackie of the range of stock, which includes a range of outfits in durable pvc. "Pvc is a huge seller, but not as big as lingerie, which accounts for 75 per cent of sales," she said, before adding that the premises was "absolutely not a sex-shop" as she headed towards the men's "pouches". These are basically men's underwear with an animal face and a long pouch stretching out from the front.

"When we opened the Belfast store, I had a whole bag of these on the plane and some man put his laptop on them causing them to go off," she said, before giving the tip of one pouch a squeeze causing laughter like a donkey to be heard from the underwear. "You can imagine what it was like on the plane," she said.

Other "novelties" which were good sellers, especially at Christmas, she said, include ranges of "chocolate willies", penis-shaped pasta and an "inflatable supermodel in a tin". They nestled among the "Wonderbra bath pillows", the naughty shaped ice-makers and the "perfect date" - an inflatable woman with a flat head - ideal for resting your can of beer while watching television, according to the packet.

There is also a coffee area and a selection of educational books including The Pocket Kama Sutra, as well as 203 Ways to Drive a Man Wild in Bed, and Dagmar O'Connor's book How to Make Love to The Same Man For The Rest of Your life.

But if one thought that this was all pretty innocuous stuff, at best adding a new educational aspect to Irish relationships, then think again. The Ann Summers business has been in Ireland for 10 years through its Party Plan system, hosted exclusively by women for women, and the group's multi-national activities now turn over £48 million a year.

The Irish parties bring in an average of £310 at each session "which is a lot higher than the UK", quipped Jackie. "The shop is only a development of our business in Ireland."

Ann Summers outlets may also be found in Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia.

The family-run business has moved with the times from its beginnings as a 1960s mail order house to the opening of the first Ann Summers outlet in the UK in 1970.