The owner of two of the biggest nightclubs in Brighton has dismissed fears a nationwide smoking ban will lead to a slump in the number of revellers.

Luminar, which operates Creation and Event II in West Street, said it had learned from its experiences in Wales and Scotland - where smoking is now outlawed in public spaces - and preparations for the forthcoming ban in England at the beginning of July were now "well on track".

With the smell of cigarette smoke gone, Luminar has been pumping fragrances into clubs in order to improve the atmosphere for clubbers.

Other measures aimed at offsetting the impact of the smoking ban include the installation of vending machines selling sex toys, the firm said.

The company has agreed a deal with sex toys retailer Ann Summers which will see products such as the Rampant Rabbit vibrator sold in six of its latenight venues.

The introduction follows successful trials at its Brighton sites where the machines proved popular with stag and hen parties.

A Luminar spokesman said: "The July smoking ban will have an obvious impact on revenue generated from cigarettes but these new machines are not only adding to the fun club experience but sales have also been very encouraging."

The spokesman added that the firm was developing its clubs to provide outside areas for smokers but gave no figure on the cost of preparing for the ban.

Luminar, which owns 122 clubs across Britain mainly under the Oceana, Lava & Ignite and Liquid brand, added that it was focused on creating a business of high-quality venues by 2009 after the sale of its majority stake in its entertainment division for £76.8 million last year.

Luminar, which is converting Event II into a new club called Oceana, said it had invested £51.2 million during the year on rebranding and refurbishing its sites and had opened two new Liquid clubs in Uxbridge and Portsmouth since March.