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McVey, who made his fortune in his teens by selling micro-scooters, is outraged that Sainsbury’s refuses to sell the title and has asked the OFT to take action against the retailer.

Front is a £3.80 monthly glossy magazine aimed at the student market. Its editorial spans fashion, music, sports and images of scantily clad girls.

The title was acquired by McVey's Kane Publishing last year and competes against monthly magazines such as Loaded and FHM and weeklies lincluding Zoo and Nuts, all of which Sainsbury’s sells.

McVey believes Front is missing out on about 2,000 copy sales a month because it is not available in the supermarket. He claims the title is being unfairly ostracised by Sainsbury’s, given that it is sold in Asda, Morrisons, Tesco and other high-street stores.

He claims Sainsbury's magazine buyer had an issue with the nudity on Front's cover, but the publisher has now toned down the imagery.

McVey said: "We have addressed these comments and taken them on board, and the magazine has evolved over time. It is not a topless magazine, but one that features music, fashion and sport among other things."

Front, unlike many of its rivals, has countered the trend of readers turning away from lads' magazines and has been something of a success in the market.

It is sold as an iPad application without censorship, despite Apple's well-known concern not to showcase unwholesome content.

According to the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABCs), the title registered a circulation of 40,971 in the period January to June this year, a rise of 7.8% on the year.

Rival FHM, on the other hand, fell over 18% on the year to a headline circulation of 192,586.

However, one magazine industry source said it would be unlikely fhat Front would be helped by the OFT, as the situation came down to Sainsbury's "making just a commercial decision".

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: "We have a very successful range of men’s lifestyle titles in our stores. We carry out regular reviews of everything we stock, and the magazines on our shelves reflect what our customers want to buy."

The OFT said it would consider every complaint it registered, but would not give further details.