Co-op threatens to remove lads mags such as Loaded, Nuts and Zoo from shelves
Uncensored ‘lads mags’ could soon disappear from supermarket shelves after the Co-op announced it would be taking a harder line against magazines and newspapers containing sexualised female images.
Publishers of titles such as Loaded, Nuts and Zoo have been given until 9 September to censor such images behind sealed bags or their titles will be removed from sale at all of the C-op’s 4,000 plus stores.
As an interim step the retailer has already installed opaque screens on its shelves to do the job ahead of their self-imposed deadline, part of efforts to prevent children from viewing sexualised images.
Steve Murrells, chief executive of food and retail for the Co-operative Group, said: "We have listened to the concerns of our customers and members, many of whom say they object to their children being able to see overt sexual images in our stores. While we have tried to mitigate the likelihood of young children seeing the images – with a number of measures in-store – the most effective way of doing this is for these magazines to be put in individual, sealed modesty bags."
Speaking on behalf of the publishers a spokesperson for the Professional Publishers Association said; "Men's lifestyle magazines are mainstream titles enjoyed by a readership of millions and feature content to reflect the diverse interests of the nation's young men. The average age of a reader of men's lifestyle magazines is 30, according to the National Readership Survey and these titles are not created for, or marketed to, children.
“Publishers support the guidelines on the appropriate display of men's lifestyle magazines, which have been drawn up with the National Federation of Retail Newsagents and endorsed by the Home Office."