Sex Shops in Wales

A decision over a Barmouth sex shop licence has been delayed.

Owners of the sho Eva Amour applied for a licence but have had to wait a year until the council adopted the necessary powers to grant a licence.

The business was based in Wrexham and moved to Barmouth last year. The owners invested £30,000 to refit the former butcher's shop in St Anne's Square, High Street and applied for the licence in January 2021. Co-director David Powley said:

It provoked some reaction from the local community who thought we were going to be like that 1970s, 1980s seedy sort of place not the upmarket venture Eva Amour is.

But we have won over hearts and minds in Barmouth. Since we've moved and opened up the shop, we've had nothing but support.

The shop began trading without a licence in November. In December the council adopted its new discretionary powers.

The original application met with ludicrous objections such as fears of an increase sex tourism and attracting the wrong type of visitors. Now the owners are contending that as the shop has been open with such fears being borne out, then the old objections should be discarded with the application starting afresh.

A Gwynedd Council spokesperson said:

Following comments submitted by the applicant, the Council's General Licensing Sub-Committee hearing regarding this application has been delayed for the time being.

A new shop, Lavish Love has opened in Abergavenny to a great reception on 17th April 2021.

The shop is also open online, stocked with leading sex toys, sexy lingerie and wellbeing products, offering a fast, personal and discreet service with free UK delivery on orders over £30

Owner Shane Lewis told the local council that Lavish Love will predominantly be a women's underwear store, which would not require a licence. He added that he will sell a small selection of adult toys, operating a similar model to national retailer Ann Summers. The shop will stock a wide range of sexy and good quality lingerie.

The shop details are:

Lavish Love
1 Brecon Road
Abergavenny
Monmouthshire
NP7 5UH

Tues-Sat: 10am - 6pm
Sun-Mon: closed

David Powley and Danny Miller are directors of DD Trading, a company behind the planning application to open an Eva Amour sex shop at 6 St Anne's Square, in a former butcher's. Powley said:

We are around the high end of things. We don't sell tacky items, basically if we don't like a product we don't sell it.

It's positive for Barmouth, it will be a destination shop. People will travel to come to the shop. These people will hopefully stay over and spend money elsewhere in the town.

We have three full-time and one part-time staff. I know this will expand once the shop in Barmouth opens. The shop will bring local employment.

Cllr Katie Price, mayor of Barmouth, said the plans to fill an empty shop in the town were encouraging. She said:

The application will be discussed at the next town council meeting, after which any representation will be made to Gwynedd Council if appropriate. Nobody wants an empty shop on the high street and it's encouraging that a new business wants to invest in our area.