Advertisment

Who Was Jacqueline Gold? Ann Summers Founder-Chairman Passes Away At 62

Jacqueline Gold, who made the lingerie and sex toys chain "Ann Summers" into a household name, passed away at the age of 62 on Thursday. The businesswoman has been battling breast cancer for the past seven years.

author-image
Kalyani Ganesan
New Update
Who Was Jacqueline Gold?
Jacqueline Gold, who made the lingerie and sex toys chain "Ann Summers" into a household name, passed away at the age of 62 on Thursday. The businesswoman has been battling breast cancer for the past seven years.
Advertisment

Gold’s company, Ann Summers, started out as a four-backstreet shop, and she transformed it into a multimillion-pound business. She had remained active throughout her cancer battle, and even during her final hours on Wednesday, she had led a regular Twitter chat to promote female entrepreneurs.

Gold’s family confirmed her demise in a statement. "It is with unspeakable sadness that we confirm the passing away of Jacqueline Gold. Her spouse Dan, daughter Scarlett, sister Vanessa, and brother-in-law Nick were beside her when she breathed her last.

The statement also added that Gold was a champion female entrepreneur who advocated for more women in business and worked towards creating a better workplace environment for women.

Who Was Jacqueline Gold?

  • Gold was the executive chairman of Ann Summers. Her retail company aimed to make sex shops a safe haven for women while also celebrating sexual liberation. She has been an advocate for women entrepreneurs.
  • Less than three months ago, Gold’s father, David Gold, the joint chairman of Ann Summers, passed away at the age of 86.
  • Jacqueline opened the first Ann Summers shop in 1971. The following year, the business was bought by her father, David Gold, and brother, Ralph.
  • Gold began as an intern at the family business, but it was she who transformed it into a female-friendly environment.
  • In a 2015 interview with BBC Gold, she shared that initially, this approach wasn’t well received by the all-male board directors. She then set up a Tupperware-style party service, bringing vibrators into the living room of middle England and giving women a chance to make their own money which became a huge hit.
  • Her approach generated an increase in sales and led to the expansion of Ann Summers into high-street stores. Currently, the company has 88 shops across the United Kingdom and Ireland.
  • While running the business, Gold also served as a mentor to many female entrepreneurs. In 2015, Gold said, "I set out to empower women in the bedroom, and now I aim to empower them in the boardroom."
  • In 2016, Gold was recognised with a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for her service in entrepreneurship, empowering women in business, and social enterprise.

Suggested Reading: Ancient Roman Sex Toy Could Have Been Made By Shoemakers


Ann Summers Chair Jacqueline Gold Jacqueline Gold death
Advertisment