The Comedy Store

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.

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

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

• Live comedy venue
• Stand-up comedy
• Improvisational comedy shows
• Comedy club entertainment
• Comedy event bookings

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. 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.
2. 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.
3. Gift Vouchers: Sale of gift vouchers for comedy show experiences.
4. Venue Hires: Private hire of the venue for events, corporate functions, and special occasions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core 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

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct 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

• Xx.com/comedystoreuk
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheComedyStoreUK
• Instagraminstagram.com/comedystorelondon

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 The Comedy Store