Venus Sales, a sex-toys etailer that trades as Temptations
Direct, has acquired rival business Purple Pleasures for an
undisclosed sum. Venus Sales director Steve Hackett tells
Catalogue e-business that although Purple Pleasures was not in
administration, its owners were having financial difficulties and
approached him with the offer. The combined company will have
annual turnover of approximately £700,000 this year, double
that of Venus Sales’ last year.
Founded in 2002, Venus Sales isn’t in the same league as leading
sector names Ann Summers, Pabo, Sextoys.co.uk, and LoveHoney, but
Hackett has big plans for growth. For starters, he wants to
expand the Purple Pleasures product range from 1,500 items to
more than 7,000. He is also recruiting professional writers to
work on an online advice column to add content to the site.
Hackett estimates that Purple Pleasures will contribute 30
percent of Venus Sales’ turnover this year, adding that he’ll be
“upset” if it doesn’t account for half of its revenue
next year.
For Temptations Direct, Hackett is in talks with five sex sites
to form cross-promotional marketing campaigns that will include
reciprocal online and enewsletter advertising. Although
Temptations does not yet produce a catalogue, Hackett is
considering launching one. He plans to test a print offering by
partnering with a supplier that already produces a rudimentary
catalogue. If that works, he says, Temptations will produce its
own mailing.
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