The trials and triumphs of Jacqueline Gold

By all accounts, Jacqueline Gold, the executive chair of Ann Summers who has died aged 62, was a devoted family woman. This may come as a surprise to those who associate ‘the queen of sex’ purely with ‘willy warmers’ and frilly knickers. 

Business-minded Gold managed to transform what had been a male-dominated, backstreet cottage industry into a glossy, female-friendly high street brand. Gone were the ‘dirty mac brigade’, those sticky plastic door curtains and the even stickier carpets. To the casual passerby, Gold’s jollily lit Ann Summers stores seemed almost respectable sitting alongside other high street brands. 

These days the old purple polyester bras and skimpy knickers come with more outlandish stimuli, such as Aphrodisiac Stimulating Lip Gloss, Caramel Flavoured Body Paint, edible underwear and Woo Woo Cranberry Wipes. It’s reassuring to know that the classic naughty maid’s outfit, essentially a few inches of black polyester with a doily stuck to the front, remains one of the store’s biggest sellers, demonstrating men’s touchingly predictable tastes.