Retail News: Hustler aims for high street

by Rachel Barnes, Marketing 23-Jun-04

Hustler Hollywood, the erotic department store licensed by US porn mogul Larry Flynt, has unveiled plans to become a mainstream lifestyle sex brand on the UK high street.

Hustler says it is creating a genre for retail, where cafes form a central point within all of its stores, encouraging customers over the 'threshold barrier'.

The lifestyle concept, created by branding agency F1RST, is intended to establish the stores as a trendy meeting place for young people through modern interiors and potential celebrity endorsements.

The retailer, which opens its first store in Birmingham in September, will take on high-street sex chain Ann Summers and the upmarket Coco de Mer, as well as mainstream stores such as Diesel and Borders, to become a lifestyle brand for 20-35-year-olds.

Hustler already has an advantage over sex-themed retailers in terms of fashion association, with celebrities such as Brad Pitt wearing its clothing.

The stores will be split into four departments: the Seduction zone, aimed at couples; Sensual, which is a self-pampering area, offering candles and oils; For Play selling fun products for hen and stag parties; and the Black zone, focusing on bondage items.

The concept will be aimed at both men and women, with the retailer keen to disassociate itself from the male origins of Hustler magazine, while cashing in on its headline-grabbing quality.

F1RST was hired in February to define a brand personality, positioning Hustler Hollywood UK as 'foxy and cool', rather than 'sleazy or arrogant'.

A 'flaming heart' logo will represent the 'addition of Hustler to romance'.

Its flagship store will open in London in November, with at least four more to follow over the next two years across the UK.