Ann Summers

Share

A British adult-lifestyle retailer with a small, accessible perfume offering.

Retailer Official Website Also known as: Ann Summers

About Ann Summers

Ann Summers is a British retailer founded in London by Michael Caborn-Waterfield. The first shop opened in Marble Arch in 1970, and the business was later bought by brothers David and Ralph Gold, who acquired it from receivership and expanded it beyond its original sex-shop format. The company is named after Annice Summers, Caborn-Waterfield's secretary.

The brand is owned by Gold Group International and is primarily known for lingerie, sex toys and adult lifestyle products rather than for a standalone fine-fragrance portfolio. Its fragrance listing is small: Fragrantica records two Ann Summers perfumes, both launched in 2017. This places the scents within a retailer-led, accessible fragrance range rather than a traditional perfume house with a long sequence of signature compositions.

Ann Summers' wider brand identity is built around female-focused retail, lingerie and sexual-wellness products. Jacqueline Gold was central to its evolution, introducing women-only party selling in the 1980s and later leading the company as chief executive. For fragrance discovery, Ann Summers is best understood as a lifestyle retailer offering a limited perfume selection alongside its core product categories.

At a Glance

The Brand

Founded 1970
Founder Michael Caborn-Waterfield
Country United Kingdom
Category Retailer

Scent Personality

Sweetness
High
Freshness
Mild
Boldness
Moderate
Uniqueness
Mild

Worth It?

Price ££
Value
High
Accessibility
Very High

The Range

Ann Summers
Full span (10th-90th) Typical (median)
What's in this view

Scent DNA

Fruity floral sweet
  • The brand's fragrance identity is retailer-led rather than built around a large, clearly defined perfume catalogue
  • Available listings point toward approachable, sweet and feminine styling, with sensual presentation consistent with Ann Summers' lingerie and adult-lifestyle positioning

Top Notes

Citrus Citrus

Heart Notes

Fruity Notes Fruity Notes Jasmine Jasmine Rose Rose

Base Notes

Musk Musk Vanilla Vanilla

Typical Performance

Longevity
Moderate
Projection
Moderate

Positioning

A retailer, mid house known for fruity compositions.

How It Compares

Who It's For

Best For

  • Accessible everyday fragrances
  • Shoppers seeking fragrance alongside lingerie and adult lifestyle products
  • Straightforward retail perfume gifting

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths

  • High accessibility
  • Clear sensual brand context
  • Easy to browse alongside the retailer's core products

Weaknesses

  • Very limited perfume catalogue
  • Limited evidence of a distinctive house scent signature
  • Less suitable for collectors seeking complex niche perfumery

Brand Evolution

Ann Summers began as a London sex-shop business in 1970 and was subsequently reshaped by David and Ralph Gold into a high-street lingerie and adult-lifestyle retailer. Jacqueline Gold later drove the women-focused party-selling model and helped broaden the company's mainstream retail identity. Its fragrance activity remains a small extension of the wider retail business, with two perfumes listed as launched in 2017.

Quick Verdict

Ann Summers is primarily a lingerie and adult-lifestyle retailer, not a major perfume house. Its fragrance range is easy to understand and accessible, but too small to offer deep brand-level olfactory variety.

Ann Summers Perfumes

Favourite - easy to wear anywhere · Statement - bold & distinctive · Acquired - bold, for fewer occasions

Browse all 16 Ann Summers perfumes