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December 1, 2005updated 22 Nov 2022 5:36pm

Sexy Scarlet fails to seduce Tesco

By Press Gazette

Scarlet, the
independent magazine edited by sex expert Sarah Hedley that aims to
“turn women on”, has had its advances spurned by supermarket giant
Tesco, which has reportedly decided the title is too rude for its
shelves.

The glossy monthly, launched last year and currently
selling about 30,000 copies per issue, was stocked in Borders and
WHSmith earlier this year, but was this week told by Tesco that its
erotic fiction and sexy features were a turn-off, according to the
magazine.

Publisher Gavin Griffiths said he hoped the supermarket
might change its mind in the future, but added that he was “very
disappointed” at the decision.

“If you look at titles like Nuts
and Zoo, they are just pornography, and I don’t understand why they are
allowed on the shelves, but erotica for women isn’t,” he told Press
Gazette.

“Tesco is the biggest supermarket and getting on its
shelves is hugely important for us – I want as many women as possible
to be able to read Scarlet.”

Tesco last week caused controversy
by deciding to introduce a range of battery-powered sex rings made by
Durex. According to industry insiders, a decision to stock a sexually
explicit magazine might be considered unwise following the coverage.

However,
a spokeswoman for Tesco said the decision not to stock the title was
based on space and timing, and that the retailer had “not said no long
term”, but might consider adding it to its list in May next year.

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