Soho House bought in £2bn deal as Ashton Kutcher joins board

Private members’ club chain Soho House has been snapped up for $2.7bn (£2bn) by a consortium involving Hollywood actor turned investor Ashton Kutcher.

The group opened its first club in London in 1995, and now has 46 Soho Houses in Europe, North America and Asia, as well a string of other up-market hospitality businesses.

It is widely regarded as being a popular haunt of A-list celebrities, and one of its London venues was reportedly where Prince Harry and Meghan Markle had their first date.

But since it listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 2021 the value of its shares has dropped sharply, as it struggled to make a profit amid a sense that it had lost the exclusivity it once had.

The agreed offer price of $9 a share is 18% higher than the price at close of trade on Friday. However, it is still below the peak of $14.21 per share which was reached in August 2021.

The consortium is led by MCR Hotels, the third-biggest US hotel group, whose high profile properties include the TWA Hotel at JFK Airport in New York and the BT Tower in London. The deal to return Soho House to private ownership was done by private equity firm Apollo.

Existing Soho House shareholders will hold onto their stakes in the company. They include founder Nick Jones, husband of the presenter Kirsty Young, as well as Ivy Collection restaurant chain boss Richard Caring.

Ashton Kutcher will become a board member, as will the boss of MCR, Tyler Morse.

Mr Morse said everyone at MCR was “excited to be part of the Soho House journey”.

“We have long admired Soho House for bringing together cultures from around the world into a global network of 46 houses, and we look forward to the continued growth of that fabric, starting with four new houses opening soon.”

The first Soho House, opened by Mr Jones, was in London’s Greek Street above his restaurant, Cafe Boheme.

It bills itself as a members’ club for “like-minded creative thinkers to meet, relax, have fun and grow”.

Members are reported to include Kate Moss, Kendall Jenner and Ellie Goulding, as well as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Its venues include Shoreditch House, Soho Farmhouse, Soho House Bangkok and Miami Poolhouse.

In addition to the Soho House clubs, the group’s other businesses include eight Soho Works office buildings, and Scorpios Beach Clubs in Mykonos and Bodrum.

However, this expansion had resulted in accusations that Soho House was no longer as exclusive as members would expect given its membership fee, which can run into several thousand pounds.

Susannah Streeter, head of money and markets at Hargreaves Lansdown, said that while Soho House “can now boast a Hollywood star as a director”, the chain would need “a bit more than celebrity stardust to cement its long-term future”.

“MCR Hotels, Ashton Kutcher and the other investors will have their work cut out to put Soho House back onto a more stable footing given concerns about the viability of its business model,” she said.

“Its rapid expansion in recent years has sparked concerns that its ‘exclusive’ label was wearing thin.”

She said it was a “challenging time” for the restaurant business, with “aspirational shoppers tightening their stylish belts”.

Saxon Moseley, head of leisure and hospitality at RMS UK, said Soho House may have struggled on the stock market as its business model is “simply not compatible with the way that listed companies have to report every quarter.”

“Soho House is very much an investment for the long term. It takes time and a lot of capital expenditure up front to fit out locations and you have to sign up members and get them in and get them spending money,” he said.

Mr Moseley added that changing the rules on who could join may have disgruntled members.

“There has been some criticism that the business was founded for creatives but in time they changed that definition to creative minded,” he said.

Adding that some have been left feeling the brand has been “diluted” and “less exclusive”.

Soho House chief executive Andrew Carnie said the return to private ownership “reflects the strong confidence our existing and incoming shareholders have in the future of Soho House”.

Since the company floated on the New York Stock Exchange he said the company had focused on “building a stronger, more resilient business”.

“I’m incredibly proud of what our teams have accomplished and am excited about our future, as we continue to be guided by our members and grounded in the spirit that makes Soho House so special.”