Lovehoney is a British business that sells

sex toy A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibrating ...

lingerie Lingerie (, , ) is a category of primarily women's clothing including undergarments (mainly brassieres), sleepwear, and lightweight robes. The choice of the word is often motivated by an intention to imply that the garments are alluring, fashio ...

and erotic gifts on the Internet. Their tagline is "the sexual happiness people". In addition to retailing, Lovehoney has over 400 own brand products and does development and publicity. In 2014 the company was the focus of a television show entitled ''Frisky Business'', which looked at their day-to-day operations.

Background

Lovehoney was founded in

Bath, Somerset Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

in 2002 by Richard Longhurst (former editor of '' .net magazine'' and ''

PC Format ''PC Format'' was a computer magazine published in the United Kingdom by Future plc, and licensed to other publishers in countries around the world. In publication between 1991 and 2015, it was part of Future plc's ''Format'' series of magazines ...

'') and Neal Slateford (former member of DNA). The company employs 230 people in the area, and is an official UK distributor of

Durex Durex is a brand of condoms and personal lubricants owned by the British company Reckitt Benckiser. It was initially developed in London under the purview of the London Rubber Company and British Latex Products Ltd, where it was manufactured bet ...

products. In 2009–10 Lovehoney had a turnover of £10.4 million and profits of £1.5 million In 2010-11 it had a turnover of £13.4 million, and in 2011-12 it had a turnover of £16 million.

History

Lovehoney launched its online store in 2002, operating from Richard Longhurst's bedroom. The next year Lovehoney moved into a small warehouse, and became a limited company. Lovehoney developed its first product in 2005, a music-activated vibrator called iBuzz; and in 2006

Apple Inc. Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States. Apple is the largest technology company by revenue (totaling in 2021) and, as of June 2022, is the world's biggest company b ...

threatened to sue Lovehoney over the iBuzz. In 2007, Lovehoney launched the world's first sex toy

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

scheme, called Rabbit Amnesty. In 2009, Lovehoney announced the first ''Lovehoney Design A Sex Toy Competition''. The winner of that competition was Trevor Murphy with the ''Sqweel Oral Sex Simulator''. The Lovehoney Sqweel Oral Sex Simulator is the best selling

oral sex Oral sex, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth) and the throat. Cunnilingus is oral sex per ...

simulation sex toy in the world. Lovehoney USA was launched to sell Lovehoney own brand products wholesale to the United States. In 2011, Lovehoney expanded its warehouse and workforce and the company is rebranded, with the cartoon mascot "Honey" being dropped and the tagline "the sexual happiness people" adopted. Lovehoney was featured in a Channel 4 documentary titled "More Sex Please, We're British" in 2012. Also in 2012 – Lovehoney secured exclusive world rights outside the Americas to design, manufacture and sell adult pleasure products based on the '' Fifty Shades'' trilogy by

E. L. James Erika Mitchell (born 7 March 1963), known by her pen name E. L. James, is a British author. She wrote the best-selling erotic romance trilogy ''Fifty Shades of Grey'', ''Fifty Shades Darker'', and ''Fifty Shades Freed'', along with the companio ...

. In 2013, Lovehoney a television advertisement was the first ever commercial to say "sex toys" on British television. Lovehoney released television show "Frisky Business" in 2014, where viewers get an inside look into the Lovehoney business.

Retail

Lovehoney has over 400 own brand products, including the Lovehoney Sqweel Oral Sex Simulator (the first winner of Lovehoney's Design A Sex Toy competition). Sub-brands owned by Lovehoney include BASIC Sex Toys, Bondage Boutique, Death By

Orgasm Orgasm (from Greek , ; "excitement, swelling") or sexual climax is the sudden discharge of accumulated sexual excitement during the sexual response cycle, resulting in rhythmic, involuntary muscular contractions in the pelvic region charac ...

, Pin Ups, Shag Factory, Swoon, VibraExciter and a range of

sex toys A sex toy is an object or device that is primarily used to facilitate human sexual pleasure, such as a dildo, artificial vagina or vibrator. Many popular sex toys are designed to resemble human genitals, and may be vibrating or non-vibrating ...

developed with

Tracey Cox Tracey Jane Cox (born 1 November 1961) is an English non-fiction author and columnist who specialises in books on dating, sex and relationships. Cox appeared as a relationship expert on Jo Whiley's show on BBC Radio 1. Her television career ha ...

. Lovehoney Ltd holds the official license to design, manufacture and sell adult pleasure products based on the '' Fifty Shades'' trilogy by

. This includes the Fifty Shades of Grey Official Pleasure Collection and Fifty Shades of Grey Sensual Care Collection. Lovehoney also hold the official license to design, manufacture and sell adult pleasure products inspired by

Bettie Page Bettie Mae Page (April 22, 1923 – December 11, 2008) was an American model who gained notoriety in the 1950s for her pin-up photos.

Notes and references

* * {{cite news , last = Hunt, first = Justin, title = Good vibrations, work=The Guardian , location=UK, publisher=Guardian News and Media, date = 29 April 2004, url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2004/apr/29/businesssolutionssupplement5, accessdate = 21 February 2008

External links

Lovehoney UK Official siteLovehoney US Official SiteLovehoney AU Official SiteSexplore UK Official Site
Retail companies established in 2002 Internet properties established in 2002 Mail-order retailers Online retailers of the United Kingdom Sex shops Companies based in Bath, Somerset 2002 establishments in the United Kingdom