Lord Mayor of Cork at opening of sex shop

Sex shop chain Ann Summers officially opened its second Irish store yesterday.

Sex shop chain Ann Summers officially opened its second Irish store yesterday.

The opening of the shop in the former TSB bank building on Cork city's Prince's Street was attended by the Lord Mayor of Cork, Mr Colm Burke, and by company chief executive Ms Jacqueline Gold.

It is the company's second Irish store since it launched its first outlet on Dublin's O'Connell Street in 1999.

Ann Summers boasts a sale force of more than 7,500 women as party organisers and 112 high street stores. According to its own figures it is one of Europe's most successful retailers with sales of £140 (€212) million per annum.

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The shop stocks everything from flavoured body oils to playboy bunny outfits. There were no protests and shoppers packed in from early yesterday to get a view of the merchandise. One local punter 65-year-old Ms Pat O'Regan said she came into the shop for "a bit of a laugh".

"I'm sixty-five but I feel about 40 and I'm looking for something special. It's all a bit of fun and I think this is great for Cork city," she said.

Mr Burke said he had a fairly tight schedule and would not be staying long. But because the shop would be paying rates he had decided to drop by, he explained.

Mr Burke's wife, Dr Mary McCaffrey, works in the area of maternity services and he said yesterday that Ann Summers stores could have an important role to play.

"She (my wife) works in the whole area of infertility and would, from time to time, advise people to make their lives a bit more interesting," he said.