Soho strip club granted nudity license ’despite owing dancers thousands in wages’
An infamous London strip club has had their sexual entertainment licence approved despite their dancers taking them to court over missing wages.
SophistiCats, on Brewer Street, Soho, has had their application to provide ‘partial nudity stripteases’ until 3am most days approved by Westminster Council.
This is despite the fact they have been accused of withholding thousands of pounds in performers’ wages.
Workers have also reported intense working conditions, aggressive treatment and arbitrary fines – including losing £50 for using the toilet at an ‘inappropriate’ time.
The company has denied the allegations, saying their funds had been frozen by the banks and they will pay their workers once they can access the money again.
But performers have still been left to rely on others to help make ends meet, with United Voices of the World announcing they were taking legal action.
One performer, called Rose, said she was unable to pay her rent herself after not being given her wages in time.
She said: ‘My manager came up with excuse after excuse, she kept telling me “tomorrow we will transfer the money” and no money ever came. I even showed her the messages from my landlord and still nothing.
‘I had to ask my friends to pay the rent for me. Then once the letter was sent from the union, me and other girls were not given any more shifts.’
Another performer, named Rudy, said: ‘The atmosphere in the club is terrible, you can’t really make the money the way you want to.
‘You have to always prioritise the club or the managers and their champagne sales. Sometimes they can get very rude and it feels like we were being forced to sell for them.’
Despite this the venue, which is run by John Mckeown Clubs, has been given the go ahead to perform the strip teases until 3am.
Previous customers even wrote in to object to the decision, with one telling the council managers acted ‘almost as if it’s a pimp-like situation’.
A dancer has also claimed there are no sanitary bins and there were ‘extremely low’ hygiene levels.
They wrote: ‘It is not as easy for a dancer to leave that toxic club because of not being paid any previous money they are owed and they make sure to warn us that if we leave we will never be welcome again meaning our money could never ever be paid.’
In 2020, the club’s venue in Euston had their licence revoked after the Metropolitan Police accused them of ‘taking advantage’ of customers.
Metro has contacted Sophisticats and Westminster Council for comment.
Sophisticats said at the time the legal action was announced: ‘The union is aware that the funds withheld from the performers are due to an ongoing issue with credit card companies concerning chargebacks.
‘This situation is beyond our control, as we function as an intermediary between the payments made by customers and the credit companies for the services provided by the performers.
‘No legal actions have been filed against the company at this time. We strongly refute any allegations of mistreatment of our performers.
‘We are deeply committed to their welfare and have consistently advocated for their rights to work.’
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