The British adult retailer Lovehoney has a new leadership. The founding team Richard Longhurst and Neal Slateford will retire from the daily business. With Sarah Warby, the company will gain an experienced marketing expert at its helm.
The sextoy company Lovehoney, based in Barth, England, will have to do without its founders in day-to-day business.
Founders remain on the bord of directors
Richard Longhurst and Neal Slateford founded the company in 2002 and in the following years developed it into one of the leading European adult retailers. The company enjoyed particular success with licensed products, sextoy collections, most of which were developed exclusively for entertainment blockbusters such as Fifty Shades of Grey and Broad City.
In particular, the BDSM bestsellers Fifty Shades of Grey and the associated film series generated millions in sales and steady growth for the company.
Increasing influence of the heirs of the Jacobs’s fortune
In 2018, the founders sold their shares to Telemos Capital, an investment company of the Jacobs family, which had become rich with coffee (Jacobs-Suchard) and time work (Adecco).
Now, the founders are handing over the management of Lovehoney to the experienced marketing expert Sarah Warby, who previously worked as marketing manager for Heineken and Sainsbury’s.
Lovehoney strives to become world market leader
Commenting on her start at the adult retailer, Warby said, »Lovehoney is a company with an enviable brand reputation both in the industry and with its customers. I’m excited to be part of the next chapter of this amazing growth story and believe we can fulfill Lovehoney’s ambitions for global category leadership. I’m looking forward to joining and getting to know the many talented people that have helped Lovehoney achieve its impressive growth so far.«
Longhurst and Slateford will step down from the Executive Board but announce that they will remain active on the Supervisory Board and will oversee the company’s strategy alongside Telemos Capital’s two representatives.
In a farewell statement, the two said: »When we started Lovehoney 17 years ago, we never imagined it would grow to be a £100m turnover business and help so many people around the world have more fun in the bedroom. We’re thrilled that Sarah is joining Lovehoney to take the business to the next level. Having someone with her quality and breadth of experience is a real asset to our company and we look forward to watching Lovehoney develop further under her leadership.«
More information about the company can be found here. Here’s last year’s coverage on VAN.