Jacqueline Gold The Boss is Back

Jacqueline Gold is the queen of raunchy retail,

but can she make sure the Ann Summers brand keeps its buzz?

Women have changed. They're much more aware of their sexuality

and they want to take charge in the bedroom.

With more than 150 adult stores across the country,

Gold has revolutionised the high street.

But selling sex hasn't always been an easy ride.

I think I've got the idea! Can I stop now?

12 years ago,

Ann Summers was struggling to cope with its rapid expansion.

To find out more about the challenges facing her business,

Gold took part in the BBC series Back To The Floor.

Joining the workers proved to be a challenging experience.

This must make me look really useless.

I think I've been set up here.

Over the course of one demanding week,

the cameras followed Gold

as she discovered the truth about her business.

Well, you could always make it longer!

LAUGHTER

Now, over a decade on,

the boss is heading back to the shop floor.

This is all-singing, all-dancing,

-it does everything...

-The ultimate one.

It does everything except put the bins out.

And she's more determined than ever

to find out what's happening at the front line of saucy sales.

I'm not quite sure why they've been in there so long, but...

Jacqueline Gold is one of the country's richest

and most successful businesswomen.

Her company, Ann Summers,

has changed the face of Britain's high streets

with its chain of adult stores.

Today, she's celebrating the latest addition to her retail empire.

We don't just sell amazing underwear and amazing sex toys -

we do, in fact, sell orgasms.

-Ooh!

-Woo!

Gold's latest store highlights the company's raunchiest products.

We've gone through different stages

and I think certainly where the product was concerned,

our customers at one point felt we weren't sexy enough.

'Women have changed. They're much more aware of their sexuality.'

The store's more risque products

- including the bestselling Rampant Rabbit -

have now been thrust centre stage.

Our vibe bar is now in the centre of the store

because that's what customers come in, they want to see.

And of course, we have the iconic rabbit, you know,

acting like a celebrity in the middle of it all.

The company has certainly come a long way since its roots

as a small chain of licensed sex shops.

When we first started, it was very clinical.

You know, there was the raincoat brigade, there was...

10% of our customers were women

so it was a very small percentage of women coming into the stores.

'We are now much more edgy, much more witty

'so there's been a little bit of a turnaround.'

Gold joined the family firm as a wages clerk

but it wasn't long before she spotted an opportunity.

'I was invited to a Tupperware party

'and it was at that party that...'

women knew that I was working at Ann Summers, albeit for work experience.

They just said to me, "We really want to be able to buy sexy underwear

"but we're too embarrassed to go into a sex shop

"So why don't you do Ann Summers parties?"

And I thought, "This sounds like an interesting idea."

The Ann Summers party was an overnight success

and before she knew it, she was running the company.

Gold's next target was the high street.

But as her retail empire grew,

the company struggled to cope with its rapid expansion.

We were growing at rate of 20% a year

so we were throwing people at the problem,

it was constant firefighting.

And a lot of things are missed when that happens.

To find out more about the problems facing her company,

Gold decided to take part

in the BBC documentary series Back To The Floor.

The cameras followed her over the course of one very demanding week.

'I was fairly new as a CEO,

'I'd only been in the role for a few years

'so on that basis, I just thought this was a quite good opportunity'

to really get the chance to see what was going on.

Now, 12 years on,

Gold is going to relive her Back To The Floor experience,

watching the documentary again.

Oh, they're good!

LAUGHTER, CLAPPING

For me, it was so important,

being able to go through this experience,

even though it was actually quite challenging for me

because it was outside my comfort zone.

But I learned a huge amount from the experience.

It was 7:30am - clocking-in time for the staff...

..but problems with her car's navigation system

meant that Gold was late.

Her first job was on the lacy bra line.

Try it that way first, that's with the undercup on the top first.

This isn't going to line up.

'My goodness, it just seems'

such a long time ago, and yet I remember it like yesterday.

When you first took over, you said

you were approachable, "Ask me anything," but we'd never see you.

-I know!

-Obviously, you were ever so busy.

We've got so many different sites, we must have about 70 stores now.

-Yeah.

-So it's very, very difficult.

-We feel like we've been dumped.

-Aww.

'Looking back, I think, at that time

'it was such a rapidly growing business.

'Sometimes things slip

'and sadly, it was very difficult to be in all places at the same time.'

Quality control in the factory was tight.

Workers were inspected once a day

and given a green, yellow or red card.

'I think this is going to be bad news, isn't it?'

I'll have to put you on a yellow

because you've gone wider one side than you have the other.

-Right.

-So those will have to be unpicked.

'I've got to stop talking, really, haven't I?'

12 years ago,

there were 70 Ann Summers stores around the country.

Today, that figure has more than doubled.

But facing a tough economic climate,

Jacqueline Gold has to work hard to stay ahead of the competition.

We have to constantly listen to our customers

and constantly recognise how trends are moving forward.

I think one of the most important things

a retailer can do in this difficult time is to make sure

they do stand out from the crowd

and that's something we've always done

and something we will continue to do.

To find out how she can improve her company,

Gold is once again joining her staff on the shop floor.

This time, she'll be working as a sales assistant

in one of the company's biggest stores at Bluewater in Kent.

I am really looking forward to going back to the floor.

I'm especially looking forward to engaging with the staff

and finding out what we can learn from customers and from our staff.

I mean, there's really no better way to learn

than going back to the floor and learning more about your business.

To start off her working day, she meets store manager Christine.

-Great to meet you.

-And you.

I'm looking forward to working in your store today.

We're excited to have you here. If I take you to the till...

Like every other morning, Christine sets the targets for the day

and briefs her team.

Today we need to take £4,000

so that is a challenge for us, but we know that we can do it.

So this morning, Jacqueline and Rosie, you're on the vibe circle,

Jess, you're on greet

and Tash, you're on lingerie.

Gold will have to sell vibrators.

Her target is to shift ten of the handbag-sized ones called Bullets.

It's sales time.

Gold tries to sell her first Bullet.

Can I just put this in your hand

because you have to feel how powerful it is

-Right, yeah, my friend's got one.

-Hold your hand...

If you hold your hand closely.

Every girl should have one in their handbag.

-Just to travel round with?

-It's discreet, it's quick, it's powerful.

-I can feel.

-..and it's only £5 if you buy...

For a first attempt, Gold is doing well

but Rosie is keeping a close eye on her.

I'm getting some other bits,

-so I'll get the Bullet.

-Fantastic.

First time lucky.

Gold goes on to try her selling techniques on two friends.

They came in to buy an outfit, but she's hoping they'll buy more.

-You've probably have heard about our Bullets before.

-Yeah.

-But have you heard about the Gold Bullet?

-No.

OK, well, the Gold Bullet is every girl's must-have.

-Right, OK.

-Its perfect handbag size.

Look, it's on the move already.

-Can I just tempt you with one Bullet?

-Not for me, thank you.

-How about you?

-Shall I think about it?

I was disappointed with that

and I think once one said no, the other one sort of said no as well.

Today, retail stores generate most of the company's sales.

12 years ago, however,

the Ann Summers party accounted for a big part of the business.

Gold's next task was to meet a party organiser.

-Nice to see you.

-Nice to meet you too. Come on in.

OK.

New recruits were loaned a starter kit to help them begin.

Gold was collecting hers from party organiser Mel Bayle.

She'd never looked through a starter kit before.

This is a Feline,

and this is one of the new ones, called Panther.

The kit - worth £375 -

should have had enough for a new recruit, but Gold spotted a flaw.

Just before you carry on now,

most of the items in my kit were size 10 to 12.

Why would everything be in a small size

with the exception of a few 14 to 16?

-That's what I'd like to know, really.

-You don't know?

No, I don't know. For instance, you only have one bra

so you'll have to order bras in.

You can't do a party with one bra!

You know, at the moment bras are our top sellers

so it seems ridiculous that there aren't any more in.

And it wasn't only bras that were missing.

We definitely need more vibrators.

-Do you want a calculator?

-Yeah.

-OK.

Gold decided to add to her party kit -

lingerie, prizes for party games,

hostess gifts, hangers, batteries and vibrators.

But she had to pay for them with her own money.

It's quite surprising how quickly it all adds up.

Yeah, it's £215.

-See you tomorrow.

-Bye.

12 years on, Gold is working in one of her biggest stores

in the Bluewater Shopping Centre.

Can I persuade you to try one on?

I'll try one on.

-What size are you?

-32 double-D.

Wow! Looks brilliant! Really good.

She's really, really pleased and she looked stunning in them.

I don't think she came in here to buy a bra

so I'm quite pleased that she's going out with two.

Gold is on a roll.

She's spotted another potential customer.

Thank you.

'I'm really pleased about this customer, actually,

'because when she came over,

'she'd already purchased her goods from Ann Summers

'so she was sort of on her way out

'and I said, "I'd just like to talk to you about our pure lace range."'

I'm just waiting to hear what she thinks.

-What's your boyfriend's name?

-Alex.

Alex? Sorry, I think we need your opinion.

He's gone inside.

As head of the company, Gold isn't used to being kept waiting.

I don't want to make them feel like they're being pounced on.

Not quite sure why they've been in there so long, but...

He has been there rather a long time, hasn't he?

After a long wait...

-..a positive result.

-We got there. Thank you.

Another sale for Gold

and two very satisfied customers.

On Gold's trip to the shop floor,

she headed back to Mel's to learn the tricks of the party trade.

Mel had invited fellow party organiser Mandy to help out.

Hello? Hello!

Some of the items throughout the catalogue,

it's quite good to make a funny comment about, OK?

I usually explain to them what the goods are.

I'll say, "Look, you have a little peephole here for your cleavage,

"and this thong back

"but you'll need to pull it to one side when you go to the toilet

"cos there's no popper fastener underneath."

This is your peephole bra, OK?

Ideal for breast feeding,

and I say to them,

"Also comes with a matching pair of crotchless knickers, OK?

"Ideal if you can't be bothered to get undressed.

"But also, turn it upside-down, you've got yourself a bra top."

Then I tell them to make sure they've washed it

before they turn it upside down.

Oh, my God!

LAUGHTER

No, I mean...

She's thinking, "We're going to have a really clean party here!"

To be honest, this is probably the bit I'm dreading the most.

-You've got to have a certain personality.

-I can't talk like that.

'It's very funny, I can't actually believe how embarrassed I was.'

Certainly I think, as you get older, you become much more immune

cos I cannot possibly imagine myself being embarrassed today.

You don't know what you're missing.

It's less messy, doesn't roll over and go to sleep afterwards.

It doesn't answer back.

You haven't got to make sure you finish it off first.

-Mandy!

-Hang on, I've got to write this down.

LAUGHTER

I really don't think this is me, actually, Mel.

'This is really not me.'

This is your experience of our Ann Summers.

-So open up your condom...

-Mel, are you listening to me?

Even unrolling condoms was proving tricky.

-Which way?

-It doesn't matter.

-That way?

-Which way's inside out?

-How do you do it?

-Just open it up like that.

-OK.

-Just open the condom right up.

-Hang on. So...

You can use balloons instead of condoms.

I use balloons. I can't stand the feel of these.

These girls aren't going to do this? Will you make me blow it up?

-No.

-Well, not quite.

Then what you do is hold it tightly over the end of your pump. OK?

Can't believe you've got me doing this!

You might think because it's a foot pump, you have to use your foot

-but you don't.

-Obviously not, no.

-Are you ready?

Your arse? OK.

-Ready?

-I can't get down...

PUMP SQUEAKS

-The first person to blow their...

-I can't do it!

The first person to blow their condom up...

'They were great girls, actually.'

I think I've got the idea. Can I stop?

'It was quite a challenging experience, I can't deny'

though obviously outside my comfort zone,

didn't know what was going to be thrown at me,

but I wouldn't change anything

because it was such a fantastic learning curve for me.

Morning, Lynn. How are you?

The next morning, it was Gold's last day at the factory.

-You all right?

-I'm fine.

At the time, the basic wage was £156 per week,

which increased with piece work.

But on that particular day, work was in short supply.

This is all we've got.

-Do you know why that is?

-Uh, no.

-Have you told Ivy?

-Yeah, she knows.

-Were you girls working on the same thing?

-Yeah.

And you're just waiting for Ivy to sort you something else out?

Realistically, how long could you be sitting there

waiting for something to do, whatever it might be?

It could be a day, it could be more.

-So literally sitting there, reading a book or...

-Yeah.

For the girls in the factory, I was devastated, you know,

as I learned that even two hours,

two hours' work - a loss of two hours' work, sorry -

was having a great impact on their income,

something that I hadn't previously realised.

'But that's why I went back to the floor, to discover these things.

'Thank God I did, because I would have never learned it.'

Gold was so worried about what she'd heard,

she decided to confront the manager.

What's your feeling about the situation?

The way we see it is, if you own us,

it doesn't make sense to pay girls here to sit and do nothing

and part of ranges that we could be producing for you go elsewhere.

I mean, I remember at the time feeling absolutely gobsmacked

that there were periods of time that the factory wasn't working.

But the good news is, we were able to increase the orders

and I think there was a lack of understanding of how important it was

to keep the factory working and profitable.

Today, Gold understands the importance of keeping her ear to the ground.

Over their lunch break at Bluewater,

she talks to manager Christine.

The first thing I'd like to know is how you think it's going today.

I'm actually really impressed, cos I know you were nervous,

at how quickly you've dived straight in there, serving the customers.

This is an opportunity for me to find out from you

if there's anything you want to tell me about today,

whether if there's anything, if you were in my position,

that you would like to do or you'd like me to do

to make changes or consider where we can improve the store.

I think, with our store,

the stock room causes me a problem

because we have a tiny space compared to our shop floor

and we do sometimes have too much stock of certain items.

After lunch, Gold and Christine have a look at the root of the problem.

If I show you what we're facing in the stock room

at this time of the year as we've got more novelty items in,

things like the Penis Pasta,

we've got about 50 of these in stock at the moment.

Same with the Marshmallow Willies,

we've got about 40 of those in stock.

Between my two deliveries,

I'm not going to sell anywhere near that amount,

yet it's clogging up my stock room at the moment.

I mean, Christine, I do sympathise with you.

One of the challenges you have here at Bluewater

is your stockroom just isn't big enough, and unfortunately,

this is a problem that many retailers experience with shopping centres,

because retailers want maximum space on the shop floor,

where it's more expensive to rent.

So it is a challenge and it is something we are addressing.

You know, one of the things we're looking at at the moment

is more frequent deliveries,

which means you can rotate your stock more often

and we are trialling this at the moment.

There are other gadgets we can also use

to help maximise the space in here as best as we can.

Just like today, Gold's task 12 years ago

was to find out what her customers and staff wanted.

And to do that, she was on her way to hold an Ann Summers party.

One of the women from the factory had agreed to be the party hostess

and she'd invited 12 of her friends around.

The more Gold sold, the more she would earn,

but every expense of the night, like the gifts for the hostess

and prizes for the games, would be deducted from her commission.

So is there anyone that hasn't been to an Ann Summers party before?

Well, that makes three of us.

Starting with the Fifi, which is at the top of the range...

Gold began with lingerie.

This does come with gloves as well.

I think the party's quite slow, very slow,

not as exciting as an Ann Summers party could be.

Gold was taken to one side and given some advice.

People almost expect you to say something quite,

not necessarily too rude, but suggestive, maybe.

You're absolutely right, because I'm not making it entertaining

in terms of, you know, I'm not doing a comedy act as such.

Then the risk there is that they might not book another party.

Jill has got to suck the card on her lips, and very quickly...

Once the party games started, Gold began to relax.

LAUGHTER

Now let go! Let go.

Oh, no!

LAUGHTER

-Oh, look! They're good!

-Oh, they're good!

LAUGHTER, CLAPPING

The winner got a prize from the Ann Summers catalogue -

paid for by Gold, the party organiser.

-There you go.

-Thank you.

Hey! What have you got?

"Music To Strip"?

It was great fun to watch, actually,

and I certainly warmed up as the party went on.

But selling lingerie was only half of the task -

Gold had to sell sex toys as well.

We're starting off with the Purple Pulser.

Get your laughing gear around that!

Now, girls, this is the real feel

and I promise you when this is passed around

you'll realise how lifelike it is.

Too small!

No, no, no.

You could always make it longer!

LAUGHTER

The fun over - but what did Gold sell?

-Would that be any good for you anyway?

-No, because it's half-cup.

Two in black and white?

Many of the women put in big orders

but for some, it's the size that matters.

I really like some of these

but the problem is, they don't do a 36F. I'm a 36F.

Since Back to the Floor, we've increased the bra sizes,

we go up to a 42H now,

so all of that...

a lot of that was to do with response to this party.

Despite the lost sales, Gold thought she'd done well.

Right, I've just calculated the orders

and I've sold £218.32.

The morning after the party, however, Gold was in for a surprise.

I've sort of roughly worked out

what we thought your actual profit would be...

Gold was told what she owed for additions to her kit.

Straightaway, before you start,

you owe your account £257.42 approximately.

What for?

For all your extra items.

It adds up very quickly.

That's all fine.

Thong thrill, thong fury... It does, doesn't it?

Gold was over £250 in debt.

Next, she worked out her profit from the party itself.

All her expenses had to come out from her commissions.

Basically, from the party, you made £45.96, OK?

Right, so minus your prizes,

your petrol there and back, there and back,

stationery, your phone bill

-you're 'posed to phone her three times...

-Before the party.

..and your order line phone

and then your hostess gift, which is £5.

You also have your kit rental to come out of that...

25 now, it's not 250.

Mel and Mandy calculated that Gold's profit was around £15-20.

At that meeting, it didn't make sense to me

how it was possible we had 7,000 party organisers

that were doing very well

and the business was doing well. At the end of the day,

if people don't make money they don't stay,

so it didn't quite add up to me at the time.

What I'd like to ask you

is what do you think the company can do to improve this situation?

Do you know what I think?

I think if you do good sales, high sales, get a bonus...

I really enjoy doing the job

but for the amount of hours that I have to put in,

I don't see that I get the benefits from it.

At the end of her Back to the Floor week,

Gold took her findings back to head office.

First on the agenda, the Ann Summers party

and the lack of products in the starter kit.

The balance of products that was in there was just totally wrong.

Bras at the moment are top sellers. There was only one bra in the kit.

Neither of us were aware of that. I'm actually staggered to find that.

'Surely, one phone call

'and we could change that almost immediately, couldn't we?'

I would like to think so, yes.

I'm a bit baffled over the earnings issue.

By not getting the kit right in the first place,

we're forcing a new recruit to actually invest a lot of money

which she can't afford, that's why she's joining us in the first place.

We don't encourage the girls to go and spend £200 or £150 up front.

We want to make sure that these new recruits stay,

and they're not burdened by extra costs.

They've got to feel supported and that they've got the right backup.

I think the kit at that time was valued at about £375

whereas we've since, over time, increased it to £500.

Certainly, we've had great feedback from the organisers because of it.

Next on the agenda, the lack of work at the factory.

Of course, it's ridiculous that we have a situation where

we're paying people to sit there doing absolutely nothing.

I think perhaps the buying department

haven't focused enough on increasing their work for Ann Summers

-and I really think that has to be given priority.

-I agree.

-That's something I can take on board to try to resolve.

-OK.

Despite their efforts to increase the orders at the factory,

in 2005, Gold was forced to make changes.

At that time, most of the manufacturing was done in the UK

so it made sense to set up a manufacturing company

that was completely company-owned and that we had control over.

Since then, all of our competitors were moving their suppliers to China

and we had to keep pace with our competition.

Sadly, we had to make the decision to close the factory down.

'I think the lessons that I learned'

during that week of filming on Back to the Floor

most definitely benefited the business.

We now do our own Back To The Floor

in the sense that all our directors now have to go into store

at peak times, at Valentine's, at Christmas,

and to really get to feel what the customer is experiencing

and also what the staff are going through.

Back at Bluewater, Gold's working day is drawing to a close.

Now it's time to find out if she's hit her sales target.

We've actually managed to sell 19 Bullets today.

-19!

-So a big thank you to you because you've been part of that.

So it's not been too disruptive?

No, not at all, you've been a great help today.

You girls have been great teachers.

It's a great opportunity for me

to thank you for everything you've done

and just to let you know you're really valued.

-Thank you very much.

-'I want to be absolutely sure

'we're doing as much as we can with the customer feedback.'

I think we are, but it doesn't hurt

for me to just get a little more involved in that.

-Bye-bye!

-Thank you.

'I'm definitely pleased I came back to the floor

'and I highly recommend it to all directors and business leaders

'to try to do that within their businesses

'because you learn so much.'

Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd