Wal Mart bans lad mags but keeps guns
-7/5/03
Three British “lad” magazines have been banned by Wal-mart, America’s biggest discount superstore chain following
Wal Mart bans lad mags but keeps guns
-7/5/03
Three British “lad” magazines have been banned by Wal-mart, America’s biggest discount superstore chain following pressure from Christian groups.
Wal-mart, which sold goods worth 4bn (£151bn) last year, confirmed that it is suspending sales of Maxim and Stuff, both owned by Dennis Publishing, and FHM, which is published by Emap because of their racy content reports the Independent.
The three titles have been at the forefront of the success of so-called “lad” magazines.
The decision, which casts Wal-mart as a national arbiter of moral tastes in America, has not been welcomed by the industry.
The Magazine Publishers of America, an industry trade group, said it believes “that, in this free society, consumers should have the freedom to decide for themselves what they want to purchase.”
Dennis Publishing denounced the move yesterday. “It is a shame that thousands of people will not be able to make up their own minds what magazine they can read for themselves.”
In rural areas of America, Wal-mart is often the only the source of products, ranging from groceries to video games.
It also sells guns and a number of weapons-related magazines,alongside more than 12,000 books and magazines on Christian topics.
Wal Mart bans lad mags but keeps guns
-7/5/03
Three British “lad” magazines have been banned by Wal-mart, America’s biggest discount superstore chain following pressure from Christian groups.
Wal-mart, which sold goods worth 4bn (£151bn) last year, confirmed that it is suspending sales of Maxim and Stuff, both owned by Dennis Publishing, and FHM, which is published by Emap because of their racy content reports the Independent.
The three titles have been at the forefront of the success of so-called “lad” magazines.
The decision, which casts Wal-mart as a national arbiter of moral tastes in America, has not been welcomed by the industry.
The Magazine Publishers of America, an industry trade group, said it believes “that, in this free society, consumers should have the freedom to decide for themselves what they want to purchase.”
Dennis Publishing denounced the move yesterday. “It is a shame that thousands of people will not be able to make up their own minds what magazine they can read for themselves.”
In rural areas of America, Wal-mart is often the only the source of products, ranging from groceries to video games.
It also sells guns and a number of weapons-related magazines,alongside more than 12,000 books and magazines on Christian topics.