At the age of 33, she runs a giant sex toy

Photo By Nicole Yeba
Edith Arsenault in its huge warehouse in Laval. She holds vibrators purple, the color most sold.

Matthew Payen

Sunday, 9 July, 2017 08:00

UPDATE
Sunday, 9 July, 2017 08:00

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Since his youth, Edith Arsenault has always admired the passion of his father-in-law to the point of wanting to do the same job as him. She didn’t know at the time that he was at the head of an empire of products-erotic.

Today, it has taken over and will soon replace it, at only 33 years old.

“The originality of the products we sell motivates me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to run a business that sells pencils ! ” said the business woman.

Dildos, handcuffs, lubricants, videos, the family business is a veritable Costco of sex.

Nearly 5400 products made in China, the United States or Europe are stored on its premises in Laval, then distributed in more than 200 stores throughout the country, including the shops Seduction held by the company.

Different practices

“I sell products that make happy couples,” says the vice-president of Landco inc.

And the key to happiness is not the same everywhere. Shop Seduction Montreal sells 10 times more oil massage the Toronto. Conversely, the handcuffs are 10 times more popular in the Queen City than here.

But the flagship product is the vibrator. “Most people come in to our stores to buy lingerie and many come out with a vibrator “, laughs and says Mrs. Arsenault.

To meet the needs of its clients, it was in China recently in order to find new dildos.

“People often ask me if I am testing myself on these products, but this is not the case. In fact, in our company, the buyer is a man, ” explains the business woman.

Health

All the products sold in stores Seduction undergo, however, a technical control tight to ensure the safety of clients.

Sexual health is a priority for Ms. Arsenault, who insisted on the training of its 150 employees in the store.

“It is sure that you can find products with discount on the internet, but you do not know can not be well you use it,” says Mireille Gaudreault, sex therapist and manager of the boutique Seduction Montreal.

“Our goal is that customers come into our shops as they go to the SAQ. Instead of asking council for a good bottle, they will be informed on products that will make them have a good weekend, ” illustrates Ms. Arsenault.

It is hoped to continue the work of his father-in-law, Claude Perron, who founded the company there are more than 30 years.

This is only 15 years old that she learned that her model was working in the industry of eroticism. His mother did not want to talk business at the table !

Mr. Perron has been working on his daughter-in-law as a sales clerk in the store, and he was entrusted to the care of multiple small tasks. “She even cleaned the toilet “, says the businessman, laughing.

Undeterred, Edith Arsenault has undertaken graduate studies in business administration.

In 2007, she surprised her parents by announcing that she wanted to integrate the management of the company. “My mother fell down from her chair, she didn’t see me working in this medium,” says the one who describes himself as reserved.

A good succession

Ms. Arsenault has no intention of starting a family for the moment, but when she has children, she will explain her work. “I don’t speak any of suite of products,” she says.

As for Mr. Perron, who was now in an advisory role, it welcomes the fact that the company remains in the family.

“I have no need to fear, I’m going to have a good succession,” he says.

– With the collaboration of Nicole Yeba

The shops of the company

• Montreal : 1 Seduction, 1 X-Tasy and 2 Romance
• Laval : 2 Romance
• Toronto : 2 Seduction

Some facts about the industry

Prescription

Some doctors do not hesitate to send their patients in the shops at Seduction. “This is especially true for men who have erection difficulties or women who suffer from vaginitis,” says Mireille Gaudreault, sex therapist and manager of the montreal boutique. To note that when they have an order, the customers do not pay the taxes.

Visits that last

In general, the erotic shops are as much visited by men than by women, and more often than not, customers come in a couple. According to Mireille Gaudreault, the first visits often last more than an hour because people do not know to what use the products. “Our goal is to put them at ease by informing them,” said the sexologist.

Fetish trend

The novel and especially the film Fifty shades of Grey had a strong impact on consumption in the erotic shops. The fetish is in fashion. “But it is a fetish basis, rather made for fun and to be evil “, grade Ms. Gaudreault. Whips, handcuffs, and chinese balls are part of the panoply of fetish beginner.

Adapt to the tastes

Vibrators are the sex toys to be sold, then it is necessary to adapt to the tastes of the customers. The most popular color is purple. According to Ms. Arsenault, it is because the women in relationships believe that their partner will prefer this colour to pink. Also, the client in toronto is more environmentally friendly and prefers vibrators that are rechargeable with a USB cable.

Shops threatened

For the past two years, the erotic shops say they are endangered in Quebec, because they are forced to close at 21 h week and to 17 h to the end of the week, compared to midnight previously. The Association of shops and videos erotic in Quebec, including Edith Arsenault is the president, fight in court against the government to restore the opening hours.