The Comedy Store
The Comedy Store is a privately-held 400-seat stand-up comedy venue in London's West End, founded in 1979 and operating multiple weekly formats including flagship stand-up, improv, and open mic nights, plus food, beverage, and private venue hire services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1979
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Comedy Store does
The Comedy Store is a privately-held live comedy venue founded in 1979 and located at 1a Oxendon Street in London's West End. The 400-seat venue operates as an event-driven nightclub offering a portfolio of stand-up and improvisational comedy formats, including the flagship 'Best in Stand Up' (five world-class comedians every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday), the long-running improvisational troupe 'The Comedy Store Players' (Sunday residency, Guinness World Record holders), and specialty formats such as 'King Gong' open mic, 'Old Rope' new material night, 'Shoot From The Hip' improv, and 'Cray Crazy Cabaret'. Supporting offerings include a Beginners Comedy Course, an on-site bar and diner, gift vouchers, and private venue hire for corporate and celebratory events.
The business generates revenue primarily through transactional ticket sales distributed via Universe (Ticketmaster) since September 2025, supplemented by door sales, food and beverage service, gift voucher purchases, and private venue hire. Pricing is tiered by show format, with King Gong starting from £12 and Cray Crazy Cabaret at £15 (£11 concessions, £10 students), while Best in Stand Up operates at higher tiered pricing. Marketing is executed through the venue's own website, organic social channels (X, Instagram, Facebook), and an email newsletter. The company is owned by The Comedy Store Ltd., a private limited company incorporated in England, with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, or parent company.
The venue's principal competitive position is anchored on four decades of brand equity, a 400-seat capacity in a prime West End location, and a deep talent ecosystem that has launched and sustained many of the UK's prominent comedy careers. Don Ward serves as Founder and Chief Executive Officer. The business operates with 51-100 employees and serves adult consumers (18+), celebration groups, aspiring comedians, and private event bookers in a single London market.
The Comedy Store firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Comedy Store
- Legal name
- The Comedy Store Ltd.
- Website
- https://london.thecomedystore.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1979
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- The Comedy Store is a privately-held 400-seat stand-up comedy venue in London's West End, founded in 1979 and operating multiple weekly formats including flagship stand-up, improv, and open mic nights, plus food, beverage, and private venue hire services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Comedy Store industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Live Comedy Entertainment
- NAICS
- Other Miscellaneous Retailers (4599)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Comedy Club & Showcase Nights (MPAGACAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Stand-Up Comedy Shows (MPAGACAA), Comedy Clubs (Nightlife Venues) (MPAGAIAH)
Keywords
Where The Comedy Store is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Comedy Store business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Ticket Sales: Revenue from selling tickets to comedy shows including The Best in Stand Up, Comedy Store Players, King Gong, Old Rope, and special events. Tickets sold online through Universe (Ticketmaster) and at the door.
- Food and Beverage: On-site bar and diner generating revenue from food and drinks before shows and during intervals. The venue offers food and drink add-ons with tickets.
- Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers for comedy show experiences.
- Venue Hires: Private hire of the venue for events, corporate functions, and special occasions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | King Gong Open-Mic Night - From £12 |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Cray Cray Cabaret - £15 (Concessions £11/Students £10) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | The Best in Stand Up - Standard Pricing |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Student and NHS Concessions |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
The Comedy Store product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Comedy Store is a 400-seat live comedy nightclub in London's West End that produces and presents recurring stand-up and improvisational comedy shows (The Best in Stand Up, The Comedy Store Players, King Gong, Old Rope, Shoot From The Hip, Cray Cray Cabaret!), supported by an on-site bar and diner, a Beginners Comedy Course, gift vouchers, and private venue hire. Tickets are sold online via Universe (Ticketmaster) and at the box office.
Product overview
The Comedy Store London is a live comedy venue offering a portfolio of entertainment products centered around stand-up and improvisational comedy. The core offerings include 'The Best in Stand Up' (flagship mixed line-up shows featuring multiple comedians), 'The Comedy Store Players' (improvisational comedy), 'King Gong' (open mic nights), 'Old Rope' (new material nights), 'Shoot From The Hip' (improvised comedy), and 'Cray Cray Cabaret!' (comedy and music). Supporting services include a Beginners Comedy Course, Food and Drink offerings, Gift Vouchers, and the Happy Half Hour pre-show experience. The venue also hosts solo comedy shows and special events featuring both established and emerging comedians.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- The Comedy Store Players: Improvisational comedy troupe performing every Sunday with core members including Josie Lawrence, Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson, and Ruth Bratt. Guinness World Record holder for longest running comedy show with the same core team.
- Best in Stand Up
- Old Rope
- King Gong
- Shoot From The Hip
- Cray Cray Cabaret!
Products and services
- The Best in Stand Up Flagship mixed line-up show featuring five world-class stand-up comedians, held every Thursday, Friday, and Saturday night. Running time approximately two hours with interval; doors, bar, and diner open before the show. Strictly 18+.
- The Comedy Store Players Weekly Sunday improvisational comedy show by a resident troupe. Each show is entirely improvised. The troupe holds the Guinness World Record for the longest running comedy show with the same core team, and features Josie Lawrence, Richard Vranch, Lee Simpson, and Ruth Bratt.
- King Gong World-famous open mic night held on the last Monday of every month, featuring 30 budding new comics competing to remain on stage for five minutes against a hostile crowd, judged by three randomly assigned judges wielding red cards. Tickets from £12.
- Old Rope Legendary new material night with a monthly residency on the second Monday of each month. Hosted by Tiff Stevenson, featuring cameos from established and emerging comedians testing new material.
- Shoot From The Hip Award-winning, TikTok-viral improvised comedy show featuring chaotic games, epic scenes, and unscripted performances.
- Cray Cray Cabaret! Comedy and music show held every other month, combining top headliners, a world-class house band, the hottest comedy talent, and musical guests. Hosted by Phil Nichol. Full price £15, concessions £11, students £10.
- Beginners Comedy Course Stand-up comedy training course for aspiring comedians to learn core comedy skills, taught at the venue.
- Food and Drink (Bar and Diner) On-site bar and diner service available before shows and during intervals, featuring pizza and other food options. Food and drink add-ons can be purchased together with tickets through Universe.
- Gift Vouchers Physical or digital gift vouchers available for purchase to gift comedy show experiences at the venue.
- Venue Hires Private hire of the 400-seat West End venue for corporate functions, private parties, and special occasions, with bookings managed directly by the venue.
- Happy Half Hour Pre-show entertainment and drinks promotion run before select performances.
Quantifiable outcome
- Guinness World Record holder for longest running comedy show with same core team (The Comedy Store Players - 40+ years)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Comedy Store
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Comedy Store technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Comedy Store partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Comedy Store competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Comedy Carnival: London-based comedy club running nightly stand-up shows in multiple venues. Directly comparable in show frequency, ticketing model, and audience targeting within the London comedy market.
- Soho Theatre: West End venue hosting comedy, cabaret, and theatre programming with multiple performance spaces. Comparable as a London live entertainment venue competing for similar audiences seeking comedy and alternative live performance.
- Banana Cabaret: London's oldest continuously running comedy club, operating since 1978. Directly comparable in heritage, format, and West End positioning, competing for the same London-based stand-up comedy audience.
- Top Secret Comedy Club: London-based stand-up comedy club offering nightly shows and similar ticketed live comedy programming. Directly competes for the same London comedy-going audience as The Comedy Store, with comparable show formats and ticketing infrastructure.
- 99 Club: London comedy club running regular stand-up shows across multiple venues. Directly competes for the same London comedy audience with similar ticketed, multi-night weekly programming.
- Angel Comedy Club: Long-running London comedy venue known for affordable stand-up and open mic nights. Targets a similar London comedy audience with comparable ticketed shows and a similar mix of established and emerging comedians.
Regional players
- Hot Water Comedy Club: UK comedy club operating primarily outside London (Liverpool base). Comparable in the live comedy venue business model but serves a different geography, providing useful benchmarking for non-London UK operations.
- The Comedy Store Manchester: Sister venue under the broader Comedy Store brand operating in Manchester. Operates the same brand DNA in a different UK city; while same brand family, they compete for shared touring talent and broader UK audience attention.
Emerging players
- Udderbelly (London): London-based live entertainment venue operator running comedy and cabaret programming at Southbank and other locations. Comparable as a live entertainment venue with overlapping comedy programming and shared London audience base.
Broad incumbents
- The Comedy Cellar (New York): Iconic New York comedy club famous for launching stand-up careers. Provides a benchmark peer in a different geography for the same iconic venue business model — a small, heritage comedy club that punches above its weight on brand reputation.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Comedy Store social profiles
Digital presenceThe Comedy Store financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Comedy Store leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Comedy Store funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Comedy Store M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Comedy Store
What does The Comedy Store do?
The Comedy Store is a 400-seat live comedy nightclub in London's West End that produces and presents recurring stand-up and improvisational comedy shows (The Best in Stand Up, The Comedy Store Players, King Gong, Old Rope, Shoot From The Hip, Cray Cray Cabaret!), supported by an on-site bar and diner, a Beginners Comedy Course, gift vouchers, and private venue hire. Tickets are sold online via Universe (Ticketmaster) and at the box office.
Is The Comedy Store a public or private company?
The Comedy Store is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Comedy Store founded?
The Comedy Store was founded in 1979. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is The Comedy Store based?
The Comedy Store is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Comedy Store make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Ticket Sales are the primary driver. The others are food and Beverage, gift Vouchers and venue Hires.
Who are The Comedy Store's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Comedy Carnival, Soho Theatre, Banana Cabaret, Top Secret Comedy Club, 99 Club and Angel Comedy Club. Regional players are Hot Water Comedy Club and The Comedy Store Manchester. Udderbelly (London) is listed as an emerging player. The Comedy Cellar (New York) is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does The Comedy Store have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Comedy Store.
What industry is The Comedy Store in?
The Comedy Store's product category is Live Comedy Entertainment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAGACAE, Comedy Club & Showcase Nights, with a secondary code of MPAGACAA, Stand-Up Comedy Shows. Its NAICS code is 4599 and its SIC code is 5810.