What Ann Summers does

Ann Summers is a privately held UK-based intimate products retailer founded in 1969 and registered in England and Wales as Ann Summers Ltd. (company number 1034349). It operates an omnichannel model through approximately 60+ physical stores across the UK and Ireland — including flagship locations on London's Oxford Street and Soho — and an e-commerce platform at annsummers.com that ships internationally. The product portfolio centers on lingerie, sex toys, erotic lingerie, bondage products, nightwear, swimwear, lubes and essentials, clothing, and gifts, with the Knickerbox sub-brand covering everyday basics and an own-label perfume line. The retailer carries both proprietary Ann Summers branded ranges and curated third-party brands including Womanizer, Satisfyer, Lelo, We Vibe, and Moregasm+.

The business generates revenue primarily through one-time retail product sales, with lingerie items priced from approximately £7.99 to £55 and sex toys from £15 to £86. The retailer offers multiple buy-now-pay-later integrations (Klarna, PayPal, Clearpay), free delivery over £50, free returns within 28 days, and an active sale channel featuring over 1,057 discounted items. In-store value-added services include expert bra fitting with a perfect-fit guarantee, Sexpert toy consultations, pleasure rooms at select locations, and a tattoo studio at the Oxford Street store. Customer engagement is supported by a content hub (lingerie, sex toy, BDSM, and relationship guides), email marketing with a 20% off first-order incentive, user-generated content campaigns (#StyledwithAS), and student/youth discount programs.

Financially, Ann Summers reached £100m in turnover by January 2024 and secured £8m in debt funding from Secure Trust Bank Commercial Finance to support omnichannel growth. Despite this, December 2025 reporting indicates ongoing financial difficulties, with sales stagnation, continued losses, and job cuts. The retailer has also faced two product safety recalls (Thrusting Ring Rabbit in April 2024 and the Remote Rotating Dildo vibrator in April 2026 under OPSS enforcement), and has deployed body-worn cameras in stores that produced a 42% reduction in safety incidents. Operations remain active across both physical and digital channels.

Name

Ann Summers

Legal name

Ann Summers Ltd.

Website

https://annsummers.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Intimate Apparel and Sexual Wellness Retail

NAICS

Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (45811)

SIC

Retail-Women's Clothing Stores (5621), Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)

akta.pro primary industry

Intimates, Lingerie, Swimwear & Sleepwear Brands (CRAAAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Lingerie & Seduction (Sets, Bodysuits, Teddies) (CRAAAIAD), Intimates, Lingerie & Sleepwear Retail (CRAAABAF)

Keywords

• Lingerie retail
• Intimate apparel
• Sexual wellness products
• Adult novelty retail
• Fashion underwear

Headquarters

HQ city

Whyteleafe

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Retail product sales: Ann Summers generates revenue through the sale of physical products including lingerie, sex toys, erotic lingerie, bondage products, nightwear, swimwear, clothing, and gifts. Products are sold on a one-time purchase basis through both physical stores and e-commerce.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ann Summers is a UK and Ireland multichannel retailer that sells lingerie, sex toys, erotic lingerie, bondage products, nightwear, swimwear, clothing, and gifts. The company distributes through more than 60 physical retail stores and an e-commerce platform, offering in-store services such as expert bra fitting and sex toy advice alongside online ordering with discreet delivery.

Product overview

Ann Summers operates as a multi-channel retailer offering intimate wear, sexual wellness products, and related accessories through both e-commerce and physical retail channels. The product portfolio centers on two core pillars: lingerie (encompassing everyday underwear, fashion lingerie, nightwear, and swimwear) and sexual wellness (encompassing sex toys, erotic lingerie, bondage, and lubes & essentials). Supporting categories include clothing, gifts, and the Knickerbox sub-brand for everyday basics. The company distributes via its e-commerce platform (annsummers.com) offering free delivery over £50, multiple payment options (Klarna, PayPal, Clearpay), and discreet delivery, as well as through approximately 70+ physical retail stores across the UK and Ireland providing expert bra fitting services and in-store ordering capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Knickerbox: A sub-brand of Ann Summers offering lingerie, nightwear, and swimwear products, operated as a distinct brand category within the Ann Summers portfolio.

Products and services

• Lingerie Intimate apparel category including bras, knickers, bodies, babydolls, corsets, basques, suspender belts, stockings, DD+ sizes, and bridal lingerie, featuring branded collections such as Sexy Lace and Yours Truly, targeted at adult women.
• Sex Toys Sexual wellness products including vibrators (Rampant Rabbits, wands), dildos, anal toys, cock rings, love eggs, and sex toy sets, featuring brands such as Womanizer, Satisfyer, Lelo, We Vibe, Moregasm+, Fleshlight, Romp, Rose Toys, and My Viv, targeted at adult women, men, and couples.
• Erotic Lingerie Specialized erotic intimate wear including crotchless lingerie, crotchless bodies, erotic knickers, erotic dresses, peephole and open cup lingerie, wet look lingerie, bodystockings, and erotic babydolls, targeted at adult women and couples.
• Bondage BDSM and bondage products including handcuffs, restraints, bondage clothing, bondage kits, blindfolds, masks, gags, whips, paddles, ticklers, harnesses, nipple clamps, sensation play items, light bondage, and collars and leads, targeted at adult consumers interested in bondage play.
• Nightwear Sleepwear and loungewear including chemises, babydolls, pyjamas, robes, and camis, targeted at women.
• Swimwear Beach and pool wear including bikinis, swimsuits, cover-ups, and coordinated separates, featuring seasonal collections such as Summer Siren and Miami Dreams and a dedicated Knickerbox swimwear line, targeted at women.
• Lubes and Sex Essentials Sexual wellness essentials including lubes, anal sex essentials, vegan sex essentials, massage oils, hygiene and toy cleaners, condoms, sex supplements and stimulants, and batteries and chargers, with buy-one-get-one-half-price offers, targeted at adult consumers.
• Clothing

Quantifiable outcome

• 42% reduction in safety incidents after trialing body-worn cameras

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

Feature1 record

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lovehoney: Lovehoney is the UK's largest online intimate products retailer, directly competing with Ann Summers across sex toys, lingerie and bondage. It overlaps in target market (UK adult consumers and couples), product mix and brand positioning, and is the most important head-to-head competitor in the channel.
• Boux Avenue: Boux Avenue is a UK lingerie and nightwear retailer with a physical store and online model very similar to Ann Summers, including bra fitting services. It targets the same female adult customer and competes directly across core lingerie, nightwear and occasion-led ranges.
• Coco de Mer: Coco de Mer is a UK-based luxury lingerie and sex toy retailer with a flagship London store and e-commerce presence. It competes directly with Ann Summers in the premium segment of erotic lingerie, bondage and sexual wellness, sharing a similar curated, brand-led retail approach.
• Figleaves: Figleaves is a long-established UK lingerie, swimwear and nightwear online retailer, directly comparable to Ann Summers on assortment breadth, target customer and D2C e-commerce model. It overlaps significantly with Ann Summers' core lingerie, swimwear and nightwear categories.
• Agent Provocateur: Agent Provocateur is a global luxury lingerie and erotic apparel brand with a physical and online retail presence. It competes with Ann Summers in the erotic lingerie and premium intimates segment, targeting a similar but more luxury-oriented customer.
• Bluebella: Bluebella is a UK-designed lingerie, nightwear and intimate apparel brand selling through its own D2C site and major retailers. It overlaps with Ann Summers on lingerie, nightwear and gifting occasion-led ranges and competes for the same adult female customer.
• Pour Moi: Pour Moi is a UK-based lingerie, swimwear and nightwear brand selling primarily online with selective physical retail. It competes with Ann Summers' core lingerie, swimwear and nightwear categories and targets a comparable adult female customer in the UK mid-market.

Emerging players

• Honey Birdette: Honey Birdette is a fast-growing luxury lingerie and intimate apparel brand expanding from Australia into the UK and US with physical stores and D2C. It targets a similar adult female customer to Ann Summers in the erotic and fashion lingerie segment and represents a rising competitive threat.

Broad incumbents

• Victoria's Secret: Victoria's Secret is the global incumbent in women's intimate apparel, with a broad assortment spanning bras, panties, loungewear and beauty. While not a sex toy specialist, it competes with Ann Summers for share of lingerie, nightwear and gifting occasions across the UK and internationally.
• LELO: LELO is a global premium sex toy and intimate wellness brand sold via its own D2C site and third-party retailers including Ann Summers. While brand-side rather than retailer-side, it competes with Ann Summers' own-brand sex-toy line (e.g. Moregasm+) and is a category benchmark.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Ann_Summers
• Facebookfacebook.com/AnnSummersOfficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/41912

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ann Summers