London members' clubs. Proximity is the scarce thing.
Wealthy people are supposedly leaving, yet new members' spaces keep opening and one Mayfair project wants half a million from each founder. It isn't the food. It's the filter.
THE GIST ON LONDON MEMBERS' CLUBS: "The Membership Boom"
What is happening in London?
Despite headlines about wealthy people leaving the UK, London's private membership scene is expanding. New spaces are opening across Mayfair and Camden, with curated entry, heavy investment in property and a move away from the word 'club'.
One new Mayfair project is asking £500,000 for every founder member, and it wants 700 members. That's millions of pounds before the doors even open.
What is being sold?
Not food, interiors or socialising. It's about reducing friction between the people who make decisions. Work is fragmented, people are mobile and influence sits in networks rather than institutions. So private, intentional proximity has become valuable again.
These spaces are filters. They concentrate a specific type of person in one place and make interactions much more likely.
What does it change?
Fees don't just buy access. They pay down buildings, fund redevelopment and lock in long-term value. Things that once happened informally, introductions, trust, access, become structured, priced and commodified. Community is something you opt into through payment.
Most of these will probably struggle financially, because private members' clubs always do. But the behaviour behind them is durable. Proximity, not visibility, is becoming the scarce resource again.
Would you pay to join a private members' club?
Your take. One tap, then see how everyone else voted.
Quick answers
How much does the Mayfair project ask?
Half a million pounds for each founder member, with a target of 700 members.
What are people really paying for?
A filter that concentrates decision makers and reduces friction between them.
Will these spaces be profitable?
Huw expects most to struggle financially, as private members' clubs always do.
See you on the next one.
What should the next one be? Suggest a topic for Huw to explain
The conversation
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