Covid-19 pandemic increases demand for sex toys and puts strain on condom production
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The coronavirus shutdown has brought swaths of the global economy to a standstill, but for producers and purveyors of condoms and sex toys, business is booming. Ritex, Germany’s largest domestic producer of prophylactics, saw sales nearly double in March.
The Financial Times reports that Karex, which makes one in five condoms globally, had to shut down its three factories in Malaysia for 10 days last month as authorities imposed strict curbs on large gatherings to slow the spread of the illness. The report adds that the company, which is based in the north-western town of Bielefeld and is still operating, and said its sales of condoms last month doubled compared with the same period a year ago, to 12.7m.
We are going to be facing a global shortage of condoms,” Goh Miah Kiat, Karex’s chief executive, told the Financial Times. “Karex alone has produced 200m fewer units as a result of the restrictions — it’s really impacting our production.” “Karex alone has produced 200m fewer units as a result of the restrictions — it’s really impacting our production.” He said that other big condom-makers in China and India were also experiencing shutdowns, which would have further repercussions for global supply.
Karex provides large numbers of condoms to international organisations such as the World Health Organization and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which use them as part of a campaign against HIV and other sexually-transmitted diseases in places such as sub-Saharan Africa. “The WHO has said that condoms are the best way to prevent the spread of HIV, so any shortage is going to be painful,” Mr Kiat said.
The same trend is happening in other countries.
Ann Summers, the British lingerie chain, said sex toy sales were up 27 per cent over last year. Its best-selling item was the Whisper Rabbit, which it markets as its quietest vibrator. “Customers are placing increasing importance on noise while they have a full household,” the company said.
In Denmark, sales of sex toys have more than doubled during the country’s lockdown, Sinful, the country’s biggest retailer of the products told Reuters.
“It makes me happy that we are doing something good during this difficult time, when people feel vulnerable,” said Mathilde Mackowski, the company’s co-owner. “I think it’s only natural that when we spend more time together we want to have a little extra fun,” she added.
According to Sinful’s figures, sales of sex toys rose 110 percent in Denmark during the first week of April.
The Financial Times report adds that Eis.de, another leading German online retailer of sexual accessories, said orders had doubled since Germany introduced social restrictions: on March 23 it saw the biggest sales volume in its history.
There had been a 300 per cent increase in sales of sex aids for men and women in the southern state of Bavaria, and demand for the company’s fantasy nurse costumes had risen 30-fold, it said. Eis.de also recorded a fivefold rise in sales of jumbo packs of condoms, each containing 100. However, as in all areas of business, Covid-19 has interrupted supply chains.
Robert Richter, Ritex’s managing director, said the rise in condom sales was partly explained by panic buying after curbs on social contact were introduced last month, with Germans hoarding essentials such as toilet paper and hand sanitiser as well as prophylactics.
