Retailers to stop the sexualisation of children…
All over the news this week are the pledges made by retailers, advertisers and broadcasters who say that they will crack down on the sexualisation of children.
To begin with, retailers have promised that they will stop selling inappropriate underwear for under 12s, including black, lacy and revealing underwear.
Further to this they will put an end to the sale of high-heel shoes to children and banish t-shirts that bear suggestive of adult content.
Retailers will also think considerably about the store placement of “adult-only” sections, as some departments feature racy lingerie with provocative marketing, these sections will be situated away from areas that sell children’s clothes, toys and products.
Jane Bevis, the director of public affairs at the British Retail Consortium explained that: “We know, for instance, the top floor of Selfridges has some fairly racy lingerie. Now you wouldn’t – and they don’t – have that situated next door to the department selling girls’ knickers”.
“We know in practice not all stores have an ideal layout, but this is something retailers should aim for.”
As well as this, retailers have also undertaken steps to ensure their website searches return “children-appropriate” clothes whenever anyone searches for children’s underwear.
It’s a national shutdown if you like, in order to protect our children’s innocence, further to the steps retailers will have to make, anyone buying a smart phone, such as an iPhone should automatically be asked whether they want adult content to be blocked.
This recommendation is for all gadgets that are internet-enabled, such as video games consoles, computers or even ebook readers to have such an option.
In terms of broadcasting, Ofcom have been asked to adopt a variety of measures to curb the worst of TV, music and advertising industries excesses. For example, the raunchy performances by pop-stars on family shows such as the X-Factor will need to be less provocative.
This will have a massive effect on retail as a whole, and in coming months we should start to see the effect of “adult-only” sections and toned down children’s clothes.
In other news…
Sainsbury’s are to follow in Tesco’s footsteps, as they will become the latest supermarket to offer car insurance.
Backed by RBS Insurance, which will act as the underwriter, Sainsbury is offering motoring insurance to customers as part of a wider plan to expand its Sainsbury’s Finance business.
There are in-store rewards for customers as well; Nectar card holders will receive a 15pc discount on their premiums as well as double Nectar points on their shopping for two years.