Groucho Club

What Groucho Club does

The Groucho Club is a private members club located at 45 Dean Street in London's Soho district, operating continuously for approximately forty years since its founding in the mid-1980s. The club operates as a single-site hospitality venue offering dining areas, bars, private event spaces, and bedroom accommodations, with a permanent art collection displayed throughout the building. The legal entity is The Groucho Club, Limited, registered in London, and the club is wholly owned by Artfarm, a UK hospitality and entertainment operator.

The club's product offering is structured around three publicly disclosed membership tiers: Under 35 at £73.33/month or £880/year, London at £125/month or £1,500/year for members aged 36 and over, and Country/Overseas at £91.67 or £73.33/month and £1,100 or £880/year for non-London residents. Admission requires sponsorship by two existing members and committee approval. Private event hire is offered to both members and non-members, with the latter receiving temporary membership for the occasion; this channel is managed through Tripleseat software. Bedroom accommodations are available to members and guests.

The technology infrastructure is built entirely on third-party SaaS platforms. Peoplevine UK powers membership applications and the branded Via Duck member portal for account access. Tripleseat manages private event enquiries and bookings. Web analytics are deployed for visitor tracking. There are no proprietary technology products or AI capabilities disclosed. The club is GDPR-compliant as a self-attested data controller and partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 level AA under Artfarm's accessibility framework. The company employs 51-100 staff and serves creative, media, and business professionals across London and internationally through its overseas membership tier.

Name

Groucho Club

Legal name

The Groucho Club, Limited

Website

https://www.thegrouchoclub.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1985

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Groucho Club is a 40-year-old private members club in Soho, London offering tiered memberships, dining, bars, private event hire, and bedroom accommodations to creative, media, and business professionals. The venue is wholly owned by hospitality operator Artfarm.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Members Club

NAICS

Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224), Traveler Accommodation (7211)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Memberships & Invitation-Only Experiences (HSACAMAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Travel & Services Membership Clubs (Ancillary Services-Led) (CRAEADAK)

Keywords

• Private members club
• Membership subscriptions
• Private event venues
• Hospitality services
• Club dining

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: The club generates primary revenue through tiered membership subscriptions. Three membership tiers are offered: Under 35 (age 35 and under) at £73.33/month or £880/year; London membership (age 36 and over) at £125/month or £1,500/year; and Country/Overseas membership at £91.67/month or £1,100/year for those living outside London. Membership includes access to club facilities, dining, bars, and events.
2. Private Events: Revenue is generated from hiring private event spaces including intimate dinners, meetings, product launches, and celebrations. Non-members can book spaces with temporary membership provided for the occasion. The club provides catering with canapés and full event coordination.
3. Bedroom Accommodations: The club offers bedroom accommodations to members and guests, collecting guest contact details, stay information, and payment details for processing. Additional information about guest requirements and preferences is collected to provide high-level customer service.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Groucho Club operates as a private members club at 45 Dean Street in Soho, London, selling tiered individual memberships (Under 35, London, and Country/Overseas) that grant access to dining areas, bars, private event spaces, and bedroom accommodations. It also hires its private event spaces to non-members for dinners, meetings, product launches, and celebrations, providing catering and event coordination.

Product overview

The Groucho Club is a private members club in Soho, London offering three membership tiers (Under 35, London, and Country/Overseas) managed through the Peoplevine platform. The club provides access to its facilities including bars, dining areas, and bedrooms. Non-members can access the club through private event bookings (via Tripleseat) or temporary membership for occasions. The Via Duck portal serves as the digital gateway for member account management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Under 35 Membership Membership tier for individual applicants aged 35 and under, providing access to club facilities including dining, bars, private event spaces, and member events. Requires sponsorship by two current members and approval by the membership committee.
• London Membership Full-price membership tier for individual applicants aged 36 and over residing in London, providing unrestricted access to all club facilities, dining, bars, private event spaces, and member events. Requires two proposer sponsors and committee approval.
• Country / Overseas Membership Membership tier for individuals living outside London. Country members pay £91.67/month or £1,100/year; Overseas members pay a discounted £73.33/month or £880/year. Provides club access during visits to London and connection with the creative-community network.
• Private Event Spaces Hireable rooms for private events including intimate dinners, meetings, product launches, and celebrations. Available to both members and non-members, with non-members granted temporary membership for the occasion. The club provides catering with canapés and full event coordination, powered by Tripleseat booking software.
• Via Duck Member Portal Online member portal powered by Peoplevine that allows members to manage their membership account, communication preferences, and reservations.
• Bedroom Accommodations Overnight bedroom accommodations offered to members and guests at the club's Dean Street premises, with guest contact details, stay information, payment details, and preferences collected to deliver service.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• ArtfarmcoreOthersArtfarm is the parent company and owner of The Groucho Club. Artfarm operates a portfolio of hospitality and entertainment venues across the UK. The Groucho Club falls under Artfarm's operational umbrella, with shared policies including accessibility standards, privacy practices, and corporate responsibility statements including Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking commitments.
• Peoplevine UKcoreTechnology or IntegrationPeoplevine UK provides the membership management platform and member portal technology powering The Groucho Club. The membership application, member accounts, and club operations are powered through Peoplevine's software-as-a-service platform. The club's Via Duck member portal is built on Peoplevine technology.
• Reciprocal ClubsminorOthersThe club shares member data with reciprocal partner clubs in order to facilitate cross-visits between club members. This partnership is based on member consent and request, enabling members to access partner club facilities when traveling or working in other locations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Soho House: Soho House operates a global chain of private members clubs targeting creative professionals, with multiple London locations. It is the most direct functional and demographic peer, operating a subscription-based members club model with hotels, dining, and event spaces at scale.
• Home House: Home House is a private members club in Marylebone housed in a Grade I listed Georgian townhouse, with bedrooms, restaurants, bars, and event facilities. It offers a comparable tiered-membership experience for professionals seeking privacy and prestige in central London.
• White's Club: White's is one of London's oldest and most traditional private members clubs, founded in 1693, located in St James's. It shares the centralised-members-club operating model, tiered subscription, dining, and event-hire positioning that mirrors The Groucho's London-members-club category.
• Annabel's (Birley Group): Annabel's is a luxury private members club in Mayfair owned by Richard Caring's Birley Group, with sister clubs including Harry's Bar and Mark's Club. It competes directly with The Groucho for affluent creative and business members seeking an exclusive Soho/Mayfair venue with dining, bars, and event hosting.
• 5 Hertford Street / LouLou's: 5 Hertford Street is a private members club in Mayfair with associated venues including LouLou's, overseen by Robin Birley. It competes directly with The Groucho for Mayfair/Soho creative and business members and offers comparable dining, bar, and event-hire facilities.
• The Ned: The Ned is a hotel and private members club in the City of London combining accommodation, restaurants, bars, a spa, and event spaces under a single membership/hotel offering. It overlaps with The Groucho on membership, events, and bedrooms for a similar professional member base.
• Mortimer House: Mortimer House is a private members club in Fitzrovia offering workspace, dining, and event spaces to creative and professional members. It sits in the same Soho-adjacent trade area as The Groucho and competes for the same creative-professional subscription base.
• The London Club: The London Club is a private members club offering dining, private events, and member facilities to professionals in the capital. It targets a similar central-London professional demographic and competes for both subscription revenue and corporate/private event hire.
• The Arts Club: The Arts Club is a private members club on Dover Street, Mayfair, founded in 1863 for those in the arts, literature, and sciences. It directly competes with The Groucho for creative-professional members in central London and offers dining, bedrooms, and event spaces under a similar sponsorship-based membership model.

Emerging players

• The Hospital Club: The Hospital Club was a Covent Garden private members club for people in the creative industries, providing workspace, event spaces, and member lounges. Although it has ceased operating, its concept of a creative-industry-focused club is a recurring model that overlaps with The Groucho's positioning.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/thegrouchoclub
• Xx.com/user

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Groucho Club