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Adult High Street market ‘is worth £400m’

Market analysts Hewson Group has published a report into the adult sector called Women, Sex and Shopping, which estimates that the current High Street market is worth around £400m, and it could reach up to £1.1bn within five years.

The company initiated one of the most detailed surveys ever carried out in the sexual behaviour area and it identified around 30% of the 18-59 age group of the UK female population that would spend between £150 – £300 per year on erotic products in an ideal shopping environment.

Hewson cite the success of Sex and the City as evidence of the latency in the woman’s marketplace but counsel against any expectation that the £1.1bn spend will happen by magic. The company says that the sort of packaging and design that women are looking for currently exists on a fairly exclusive basis – as does the nature of store design and store availability – as it appears that women want to buy erotic goods in the same way they buy perfume.

The Hewson Group’s report includes a detailed introduction on the market, sections on the decline and fall of pornography; the current state of the market for women’s erotica on the High Street; survey results on toy ownership; views on desired retail environments; spending expectations; the market potential; the implications for High Street stores, bookshops, luxury goods manufactures, mobile operators, hotels, banks and investment advisors, and conclusions.

Further information on the report, and an introduction to it by the authors, can be found on page 42 of the New Year 2009 issue of ETO.