Along England's A1 road, a major route connecting London and Edinburgh, numerous former Little Chef restaurants, once a British institution, have been transformed into large-scale sex shops, primarily by the chain Pulse & Cocktails. This phenomenon has led to the A1 being dubbed "Britain's kinkiest road" or "sex corridor." These adult superstores are strategically located on busy roadsides, away from schools and town centers, offering discretion and ample parking, which are key attractions for customers.
Pulse & Cocktails, in business for 21 years, capitalized on the closure of many Little Chef outlets in 2007. They now operate seven roadside superstores, with three located on the A1, and claim to have some of the largest sex stores in Europe. These establishments offer a wide array of products, from lingerie and handcuffs to synthetic body parts, BDSM gear, and high-end sex dolls costing up to £1,500. They also stock R-rated movies and magazines, with their e-commerce and marketing manager noting that older male clientele are particularly fond of these items.
The target audience for these stores has evolved beyond just men. Graham Kidd, a director at Pulse & Cocktails, noted a gap in the market for couples to shop together. The shops aim to be modern, open-plan, and well-lit, a departure from the "seedy backstreet stores." Michaela Snell, manager of the A1 southbound store at Grantham, estimates about 500 people visit weekly, with roughly 25% being regulars. Despite the rise of online shopping, physical stores, especially for high-end, rechargeable sex toys, attract more traffic as customers prefer to see products before buying. A recent survey also indicated that 79% of women and 58% of men use sex toys, showing a growing openness towards such products.
