London’s Groucho Club given permission to reopen

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The Groucho Club will be allowed to reopen under “strict” new rules after the London private members club was forced to shut last month.

The Soho club, which is popular among workers in the media, arts and advertising, was forced to close after the Metropolitan Police raised concerns that the venue had breached licensing conditions and had been the scene of a serious criminal offence.

A Westminster City Council licensing hearing ruled on Wednesday that the licence should be reinstated, giving the club a chance to claw back some of the income it had lost from being closed during the busy period before Christmas.

The club did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A man was arrested on suspicion of rape in the club by the police at the end of November and remains in custody. There is no suggestion that employees or members of the venue were involved in the offence.

Elli Jafari, chief executive of the club, has told members “that the club (or indeed its staff or members) are not considered a suspect in any allegation of serious crime”.

The Wednesday hearing heard from various parties, including the police. Most supported a reopening but with added security on the premises and stronger rules around guests being invited by members.

Measures are expected to include CCTV and regular checks in the toilets, and greater levels of scrutiny over guests.

The management will also need to impose stricter rules on non-members and private events at the club, which is known for its late-night drinking and sometimes raucous parties.

The council said its licensing subcommittee had “agreed to modify the conditions on the licence and lift the suspension of the club’s licence with immediate effect.

“The committee was satisfied that Groucho’s management had demonstrated significant safety improvements and agreed that sufficient measures are now in place for the venue to operate safely.“

Artfarm — an art and hospitality company founded by Iwan and Manuela Wirth, who own the Hauser & Wirth gallery in central London — bought the Groucho in 2022 for £40mn. 

The club opened in 1985 and was named in honour of Groucho Marx’s claim that he would not “want to belong to any club that would accept me as one of its members”. Membership costs up to £1,500 per year.

The club has sought to bring in a younger clientele, which has angered some of its traditional members in media and PR, with plans also being made for expansion in the north of England. It is seeking to launch its first venue outside London near Wakefield, West Yorkshire, at Bretton Hall, a Grade II-listed manor house.