The retail store will cater to “high-rollers and tourists,” Joshua Maurice, the company’s vice president, told XBIZ.
The store came about after a businessman approached Maurice about opening the high-end sex shop to coincide with the hotel endeavor, he said.
Demand for Liberator products was fueled through worldwide exposure of the products to audiences attending mainstream films in which they are featured, aggressive marketing and various licensing deals that include farming out manufacturing and distribution to local affiliates.
For example, Liberator’s international expansion has been greatly boosted when its signature item, the Liberator-Ramp, was written into the script of mainstream comedy “Burn After Reading” featuring Hollywood heavyweights George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
The film was released worldwide, and the different release dates helped boost sales immediately, Maurice said, adding he expects the same to happen when the film is released on DVD.
Liberator’s appearance in the movies — it was a “punchline of some jokes,” according to Maurice — coupled with its aggressive marketing in mainstream magazines such as Rolling Stone, Blender, Men’s Health and Cosmopolitan, has fueled its international licensing deals.
With “leads from people in certain communities,” the company works with partners across the globe to make its business model applicable locally. The company is developing a website oriented specifically for the consumer markets in France, Italy, Greece and Turkey.
“I liken it to the Coca-Cola bottling agreements, [which are] culturally responsible,” Maurice said. “With Liberator, our product will be built a bit locally and distributed locally.”
