By Erika Icon
YNOT – Pro-sports lockouts usually lead to a decline in revenues affecting more than just the leagues involved. But the latest National Hockey League lockout — the result of a breakdown in contract negotiations between the players’ union and team owners in the U.S. and Canada — seems to be lining the pockets of sex toy retailers. Canadian adult shops, boutiques and websites report “a huge spike” in sales since the lockout began in October.
Apparently, when faced with the absence of one cold-weather sport, Canadians are not shy about indulging in another.
“We’d be gearing up for [NHL hockey] now, but there’s nothing, so I guess we need to find some better ways to spend our time,” Vinay Morker, owner of Hush Lingerie and More in Edmonton, Ontario, told the Toronto Sun.
Morker reported Hush’s sales of sex toys, games, guides and lingerie have increased 15 percent since October.
Hal Roseberg, who owns Edmonton’s Tease Adult Boutique, told the paper he’s noticed a similar spike in business.
“I suppose that’s one of the other reasons it’s as busy as it is — there’s no hockey,” he said.
Men’s publication Complex Magazine noted bored hockey fans using their NHL downtime to get busy could give rise to a population boom next year. The magazine floated the moniker “lockout babies” to describe the potential phenomenon.
Another factor in the rise in sales could also be consumer spending. People want to make themselves (and others) feel better in a bad economy. Some prognosticators expect sex toy sales to skyrocket worldwide by May 2013.
“At a time when unemployment is high and bank account balances are low, people are passing the time by getting busy,” Stefan Dallakian, owner of Paris Intimates, told CNBC.
Though hockey fans undoubtedly are a bit disappointed and dispirited by separation from their game, the lockout could prove to be very good for an industry that desperately needs some good news. Brick-and-mortar stores and online retailers may want to stock up to meet potential demand.
