Gay Products Push Envelope For British Wal-Mart

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - Wal-Mart's British subsidiary, Asda, has been peddling some eyebrow-raising products that probably wouldn't see the light of day in the retail giant's American stores.
Just last month, Asda unveiled a line of products targeted at same-sex couples to coincide with Britain's legalization of homosexual civil unions. The range includes greeting cards such as one that reads "Wedding day wishes Mrs. & Mrs.," and matching gold commitment rings.
Late last year, Asda also began marketing products from condom maker Durex, including pleasure-boosting lubricants and vibrators bearing names such as the Wand and Little Gem.
Analysts say the sale of sex aids simply underscores how independent-minded the 300-store supermarket chain remains despite its purchase by the Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer in 1999.
"Wal-Mart has left Asda with a great deal of autonomy, and hasn't imposed what might be referred to as its moral values on Asda," said Bryan Roberts, retail analyst at Planet Retail, a consulting firm. He said Wal-Mart realizes "it can do a lot better by leaving things at Asda as they are."
Roberts said that while Wal-Mart always has made a habit of banning products deemed offensive to its customers such as Jon Stewart's "America" book that included cutout dolls depicting naked Supreme Court justices Asda has continued to carry similar items, tagged with parental advisories.
Asda spokesman Dominic Burch said that British consumers seem to be fairly open-minded about a wide range of products. But he said the chain has not decided whether to continue to stock the sex aids over the long term.
"We are still trying to figure out whether Asda customers do indeed want to buy these types of products in Asda stores," he said.
Roberts said that "Wal-Mart always has positioned itself as a protector of family values in the United States, but Asda never has done that here."
He added that while large religious groups are active in promoting social policies in the United States, "You just don't find those sorts of groups over here."
Opposition
But some conservative groups have come out against the sales.
Norman Wells, director of the Family Education Trust, a group that researches the causes of family breakdown, said that Britain faced a growing problem with sexually transmitted diseases.
"Openly displaying these products on supermarket shelves will send out the message that sexual intimacy is a casual recreational activity for everyone, of any age, whether married or not," he said. "Parents don't want such items placed under the noses of their children when they are doing the weekly shop.
"We hope Asda will think again, and that its reputation as a family store will keep it from lowering itself to the level of an adult shop," he said.
In the United States, Wal-Mart spokesperson Gail Lavielle said, the company is not concerned about any backlash from conservative groups, and the decision on whether to stock certain items always relies on the level of consumer demand.
She said that Wal-Mart has reached out to all sorts of consumer segments in the United States, and that it engages in a dialogue with the Human Rights Campaign and other gay rights groups.
Under attack at home
In fact, Wal-Mart has found itself under attack in recent months for just discussing marketing to homosexuals in the United States.
In mid-December, the company held a seminar titled "Why Market to Gay America?" as part of its ongoing diversity efforts designed to gather and spread information on various market sectors.
Representatives of the conservative American Family Association have expressed concern that Wal-Mart was giving its stamp of approval to the gay lifestyle.
Linda Blakely, another Wal-Mart spokesperson, said the company has organized several so-called Business Resource Groups made up of gay, female, and minority employees so that they might advise the company on employment, retention, and marketing trends.
"The seminar on marketing to gay America was ... one of many that our different groups have organized," she said.
When asked if the seminar was part of a larger effort to reach out to gay America, she said that "at this time there are no other programs in place."
She also said that she didn't know of any plans to carry either sex aids or merchandise for same-sex couples in any of Wal-Mart's 3,200 U.S. stores
from Grand Forks Herald