Publishers of male magazine titles Front, Loaded, Nuts and Zoo have been given until 9 September 2013 to deliver their titles in cover-obscuring pre-sealed 'modesty' bags, or risk instant delisting at Co-operative stores in the UK.
The move by the Co-operative Group, which is one of the UK's largest magazine retailers, coincides with the introduction of opaque screens on Co-operative supermarket shelves this month, until the publishers provide their own modesty bags.
Steve Murrells, chief executive of retail for The Co-operative Group, said, "As a community-based retailer 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.
"Whilst 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.
"As an interim measure, we have introduced our own opaque screens on shelf to reinforce our existing policy limiting the display of such material."
He added, "The publishers of these magazines now have until 9 September to start providing their own modesty bags, after which any lads’ magazine which does not have the relevant bag will not be supplied in our stores."
© 2013 - ESM: European Supermarket Magazine by Ellen Lunney
