Unlicensed sex shops in Soho...

[max_tranmere]

Since porn became completely legal, and licenced shops have popped up all over the place - including several in Soho in London obviously - does anyone know whether any of these places have closed down as a consequence of all of us getting our stuff from the Licensed shops?

Their business is likely to have suffered - there were quite a few in Soho - as legalisation must have had an effect. Anyone know?

[planeterotica]

Soho is as busy as ever i was around that way last night and it was raining but still loads of people around, the sex shops sell toys as well as dvds and you see loads of gorgeous girls in there buying vibarators and double enders, you dont see many dirty raincoats these days !cool!

[max_tranmere]

Still a hub of activity then. But is that the Licenced shops that you are talking about? The unlicenced ones, that only sell videos, have probably lost business since the Licenced ones opened. I remember buying videos in some of these places, you would get to know the people who ran them and they would often give you a preview on the VCR hoping no one would come in. Some of these blokes were very friendly. Then you'd go back two weeks later and the place would be closed down as it had been raided by the Old Bill!!

[planeterotica]

max_tranmere wrote:

> Still a hub of activity then. But is that the Licenced shops
> that you are talking about? The unlicenced ones, that only sell
> videos, have probably lost business since the Licenced ones
> opened. I remember buying videos in some of these places, you
> would get to know the people who ran them and they would often
> give you a preview on the VCR hoping no one would come in. Some
> of these blokes were very friendly. Then you'd go back two
> weeks later and the place would be closed down as it had been
> raided by the Old Bill!!

planet-erotica wrote:

They were all licenced for something or other as the Wesminster council keeps a very tight control on Soho, i dont believe there are as many sex shops as there use to be and i think that as some shops are now boarded up that Soho will be redeveloped !sad!

[peter@video-xtra.com]

Does anyone (apart from tourists) actually purchase porn from licensed sex shops?

I can't believe anyone in their right mind would pay the daft prices being asked.

For literally half the price you can buy the stuff from reputable and reliable mail-order suppliers in the States - including postage! And you have a much wider choice of titles.


Peter

[max_tranmere]

I've bought a few movies in the Licenced shops in Soho, but I'm sure you are right that the range of films available online is so much greater, although I've never bought any porn movies online (yet).

[Trumpton]

You'd be daft to pay the prices they want in licenced sex shops!

[alicia_fan_uk]

I posted many months ago on an issue related to soho sex shops....per the following:

"Hey everyone

I've just been to some of the soho sex shops for the first time in a while, and was quite surprised at the extent to which they all carry the same titles etc - is there much difference between any of them? Is there only one wholesaler/distributer who supplies all these shops? Even the offers (and, more specifically, the offer signage etc) seemed to be exactly the same in apparently "independent" stores.

I know that Darker Enterprises/Private, Harmony and Simply Pleasure(?) are some of the main players, but is there one guy or company who buys all the stuff wholesale for these companies to then sell on? Also, for reasons I can't fathom, some stores have 3/4 different outlets in a few hundred square metre area?? Taking the Private example further; they've got hundreds/thousands of titles in their catalogue, but only a select 40 or so are duplicated all over the soho sex shops.

I understand that there will always be duplication of product lines etc, especially with the well-known studios/producers and newer releases. I also understand that, just like supermarkets, different outlets can sell the same thing and all can live in (relative) peace. Such forces can also mean retailers end up offering the same/similar deals etc, which may somewhat explain the situation I encountered. Further, customers can also be loyal to a particular store etc.

However, there was just something striking me as I walked round a few different outlets that made me consider the positives/negatives of having different stores which could ultimately be at risk of just being clones of each other.

The point of this thread? Well, nothing to earth shattering and it's not going to re-align the UK porn retail market anytime soon. Just thought it a relatively interesting issue to raise..."


Would happy happy to hear from anyone who could shed any light on the above.

Cheers

[max_tranmere]

Thanks for your comment. I've noticed that myself - how all the licenced shops within the same district always seem to sell exactly the same thing, and also only a small percentage of the movies that a certain person stars in. For example, a certain pornstar could have made 50 or 100 films, and yet you can only find three of four in a shop which star that person - and it's the same three or four in every shop in that regional area. The vast majority of the movies featuring that person can not be found. I said on a post a while ago just how great it would be if there were porn movie shops that were like the huge Virgin and HMV shops you get in city centres - a kind of porn emporium - where EVERYTHING is available.