West End club bosses to form new trade group

A London nightclub boss is spearheading a new organisation to help high-end venues weather the recession.

The industry veteran behind the capital's Embassy club, Mark Fuller, made contact with a number of other "high-end West End" clubs to form Club Union, which is likely to become the Association of Club Owners.

Venues said to be in support of Fuller's plans include major London clubs such as Chinawhite, Movida, Jalouse and Aura.

He said clubs have seen a downturn as more young people turn to cheap nights in with supermarket alcohol, rather than splash out on a night in town.

Fuller emailed the other owners a few months ago to suggest a discussion on how they may be able to help each other. A group has continued to meet once a month.

He told The Daily Telegraph​ the meetings are a reaction to the tough economic conditions "to a certain extent", but also to discuss increasing customer expectations.

"Yes, we have been affected and it is a reaction to less people coming into London," he said.

"When the recession came, we all thought we are a bit invincible, but obviously when people don't have large amounts of money to splash around, things change.

"We want to let people know London nightlife is safe, it's fun, that we can give you a good value night out and give you affordable glamour."