Banmoco News As It Happens

WHSmith has refused to join a campaign to put ‘lads’ mags’ out of the immediate eyesight of children.

Retail giants such as Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury’s, and Morrisons have agreed to put these types of magazines on their top shelves after immense pressure from parents. However, WHSmith has said that the measures are too strict, with the National Federation of Retail Newsagents also refusing as it isn’t in a commanding enough position to tell independently-run corner shops how they should operate.

The moves come after Mumsnet’s campaign on its parenting website ran a survey of UK mothers about publications and the images of scantily-clad female that they contain. At least 82% said that they have seen lad’s mags on the lowest shelves of displays in shops across the country.

While one worried parent told how she was once made to explain to her daughter, only eight-years-of-age, why two naked ladies were on the front of a magazine cover, another said that she objects to the fact that she doesn’t have a choice on whether or not her children see such images.

However, WHSmith says that its existing restrictions are sufficient to protect children and there is  a strict display policy requiring that men’s lifestyle magazine titles are displayed at a minimum height of exactly 1.2 metres – the equivalent of an adult’s average adult chest and shoulder height.

For many, that refusal is surprising considering that WHSmith is being run by Kate Swan, one of few mothers currently at the top of UK business.