London’s private wine club 67 Pall Mall to open in Dubai, with annual membership at Dh25,000

London-founded private members’ club 67 Pall Mall, catering to wine and fine-dining enthusiasts, is set to open its first Middle East location in Dubai in early 2027. The club will occupy the first floor of The Opus in Business Bay, the only building in Dubai designed by the late Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. Membership applications are now open, with standard annual membership priced at AED 25,000.

According to What’s On and Fact magazines, the Dubai club will span 12,000 square feet, or approximately 1,115 square metres. Its centrepiece will be a spacious, light-filled clubroom for business and social gatherings from morning until late at night. Other facilities will include private dining rooms, an outdoor terrace, a lounge for informal meetings and dining, two kitchens and a grill area for open-flame cooking.

The Drinks Business reported that the floor’s distinctive design features a long, narrow corridor that will be transformed into a curved tunnel measuring about 20 metres. Grant Ashton, the club’s founder and CEO, said: “We will fill both sides and the ceiling with wine bottles; it will effectively be a wine tunnel.”

One of 67 Pall Mall’s defining features is its extensive selection of wines from around the world, offered at significantly lower mark-ups than those typically charged by luxury restaurants. Rather than multiplying wholesale prices, the club adds only a limited fixed amount to the cost of each wine and uses membership revenue to keep prices low. Ashton said the Dubai location would operate with “virtually zero margin on wine”.

According to announced plans, the Dubai branch’s wine list is expected to feature products from around 45 countries, with nearly 800 wines available by the glass. The club is working with Dubai’s two licensed alcohol distributors, MMI and African + Eastern (A&E), to import older vintages and wines from producers not yet represented in the UAE market.

According to the club’s brochure, standard annual membership costs AED 25,000, while wine industry professionals can join at a discounted annual rate of AED 18,750. Lifetime membership is also available for a one-off payment of AED 350,000. To attract early members, the first 100 founding members are exempt from the joining fee, while the next 500 must pay an initial membership fee of AED 7,500 in addition to the annual subscription.

Drinks Business reports that more than 100 of the club’s international members currently live in Dubai. Members of the Dubai branch will have access to a global network of more than 10,000 members, other 67 Pall Mall locations and partner clubs, as well as a dedicated travel and accommodation concierge service and preferential rates at selected international hotels.

Planned activities include regular appearances by internationally renowned chefs, specialist talks, educational workshops, formal banquets, dinners with special guests, live music and DJ performances, and cultural and social events. According to Arabian Business, Ashton said Dubai had become a global hub for restaurants and hospitality, with a sophisticated community eager for new experiences. He described Zaha Hadid’s distinctive architecture at The Opus as a unique setting for the club’s expansion.

Grant Ashton, a former hedge fund manager and financial markets trader, converted a historic former bank building at 67 Pall Mall in London into the club’s first location in December 2015. Pall Mall is renowned for its prestigious, long-established private members’ clubs, and the group takes its name from the address of its original location.

The group now has locations in London, Singapore and the Swiss Alpine ski resort of Verbier. It also operates a local membership programme in Hong Kong and is preparing to open new venues in Shanghai, Melbourne and the French cities of Bordeaux and Beaune.

According to Arabian Business, the brand’s arrival in Dubai comes amid the continued expansion of private members’ clubs in the city. Combining business networking, dining and entertainment, these venues target wealthy residents, business travellers and tourists seeking experiences beyond hotels and restaurants. The publication said the main challenge for 67 Pall Mall would be adapting its model to a city where luxury restaurants are already firmly established. Although the Dubai venue is scheduled to open in early 2027, an exact launch date has yet to be announced.