London Playboy Club a priority for cash-strapped Playboy in 2010

The iconic Playboy Club is set to make a return to London this year, as Hugh Hefner’s Playboy Enterprises empire fights for its life.

The first Playboy Club opened in Chicago in 1960. The London club opened six years later in 1966, bringing its heady mix of scantily-clad beautiful young women and classy casino action to the swinging capital of the sixties.

The casino action was considered to cool that even James Bond was a registered member of the club. Iconic personalities like Dean Martin, Sinatra, and Sammy Davis Jr were all known to frequent the club.

The last London Playboy Club closed its doors in 1981 but the brand’s enduring strength, the success of the revamped Las Vegas Club, and the whims of fashion and nostalgia are persuading Playboy to bring the bunny back to London.

Scott Flanders is the new CEO of the Playboy group and the first non-Hefner to occupy this position. He was brought in after the business made a $156 million loss in 2008. He is optimistic that the Playboy brand is strong enough to ride out this storm.

“Hardly a day goes by when we don’t get enquiries from someone who has a great idea about how to capture value from the Playboy brand, and that includes broad interests in buying the company. Now I’ve got the magazine on a path to profitability, I have no higher priority in 2010 than securing a Playboy club for London. It’ll be the sexiest fun you can have with your clothes on.”

So... If you like some glamour with your roulette and enjoy blackjack – bunny style, watch this space.