The Groucho Membership, a non-public members’ membership in Soho, London owned by the founders of Hauser & Wirth gallery, has briefly shut as police examine allegations of a “critical crime” on its premises.
Westminster Metropolis Council stated in a press release on Tuesday that the Groucho Membership’s licence has been revoked for 28 days after a request from the Metropolitan Police.
“This determination follows experiences {that a} critical crime might have taken place on the premises in circumstances linked to a breach within the premise’s licensing circumstances,” a council spokesperson stated in a press release. The character of the crime has not been revealed.
“The allegations are topic to an ongoing police investigation and we can not remark additional at this stage,” the council spokesperson stated.
A full listening to can be held by the council’s licensing sub-committee by 24 December, and the membership has “cooperated with the committee, acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and accepted the choice to droop their licence”, in response to the council.
Since 2022, the Groucho Membership has been majority owned by ArtFarm, a hospitality firm established in 2014 by Iwan Wirth and Manuela Hauser. ArtFarm purchased its stake within the membership for a reported £40m. It’s run individually to different companies in ArtFarm’s portfolio, which itself is a separate firm to Hauser & Wirth. ArtFarm was approached for remark.
