John Lewis gets saucy by selling ‘romance aids’

MIDDLE Britain is becoming less prudish with both John Lewis and Ocado seeing a buzz around the sales of ‘romance aids’.

The move to present the ‘toys’ as an everyday purchase – alongside table lamps and ready meals – has been dressed up as boosting ‘wellbeing’.

John Lewis says it introduced a line of sex toys in response to a sharp increase in customer searches on its website with some lines selling out.

Vibrators, massage oil, candles and lubricant from luxury sex brand Coco de Mer have been available since December and were restocked prior to Valentine’s Day.

At Ocado sales of vibrators have rocketed by an eye-watering 565 per cent in the past 12 months.

Some 73 per cent of online shopping baskets containing a sex toy also include a ready meal, according to its sales data.

Lingerie brand Ann Summers launched a partnership with Deliveroo at the start of this month to deliver its most popular products to customers at home.

Vibrators were first launched as medical devices after Joseph Mortimer Granville patented the first one in the early 1880s, but their legitimacy as a treatment declined after the 1920s. They became popular again during the second feminist wave of the 1960s and 1970s.

In recent decades, any idea of shame or embarrassment has been largely extinguished, helped by the success of shows such as Sex And The City and Sex Education.

Kelly Wright of John Lewis said: ‘Sexual wellbeing is no longer a taboo. The physical and mental health benefits are well documented, and the public mindset has changed. It’s a much more mainstream market.’

Items on offer include a £35 rose and sandalwood massage oil, a £30 Divine Aqua Glow lubricant, and The Stimulator vibrator, priced at £165. Ocado’s offering includes the ‘pleasure-positive’ brand So Divine, which has seen a 57 per cent increase in searches compared to last year.

The brand’s ‘love egg’ is now 20 per cent off at £44 for Valentine’s Day, while men can add the £16 So Divide Pleasure Cup into their shopping basket with items delivered in a discreet bag.

Health and Beauty Buying manager at Ocado, Emily Dixon, said: ‘We pride ourselves on offering a diverse selection of products which celebrate self-pleasure.

‘Whether you’re solo or spending Valentine’s with a partner, we want our customers to order items they enjoy.’