Lalrp.org:

Remark

LONDON — Jacqueline Gold, who helped make lingerie and intercourse toys a female-friendly mainstream enterprise as head of Britain’s Ann Summers chain, has died, her household mentioned Friday.

She was 62 and had been recognized with breast most cancers seven years in the past. Gold’s household mentioned she died on Thursday with shut household by her facet.

Gold’s father, David Gold, purchased the 4 struggling Ann Summers intercourse retailers within the early Nineteen Seventies. Jacqueline joined as an intern a number of years later, rising to turn into director, then chief govt and at last govt chairwoman.

She ditched the agency’s forbidding men-only environment and made them extra interesting to girls, with female-friendly merchandise offered each in retailers and thru women-only, at-home gatherings impressed by Tupperware events.

Below her, Ann Summers turned a well-known function of the British excessive avenue, with greater than 80 shops nationwide.

She informed the BBC radio present “Desert Island Discs” in 2018 that it was “an actual tradition change” for the enterprise.

“Feminine empowerment has all the time been on the coronary heart of every little thing we do,” she mentioned.

The household assertion mentioned Gold’s “imaginative and prescient and creativity” turned Ann Summers “from an unknown model to a British family identify.”

“Jacqueline is best-known for founding Ann Summers and main a enterprise run by girls, for ladies. She was additionally an activist for ladies in enterprise, and championed feminine entrepreneurs with the ambition to raised the working surroundings for ladies,” the household mentioned.

Gold was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth II in 2016 for providers to entrepreneurship, girls in enterprise and social enterprise.

Sister Vanessa Gold, who’s now chief govt of Ann Summers, mentioned “Jacqueline courageously battled stage 4 breast most cancers for seven years and was an absolute warrior all through her most cancers journey.”

“In life she was a trailblazer, a visionary, and probably the most unimaginable lady, all of which makes this information that a lot more durable to bear. As a household, we’re completely heartbroken on the lack of our spouse, mum, sister, and greatest pal.”

Gold died two months after her father, who was co-chairman of Premier League soccer crew West Ham United.

She is survived by her husband Dan Cunningham and daughter Scarlett, in addition to her sister.