Sub Club‘s already controversial #SaveOurSub fundraiser appears to have nearly been embroiled in a separate lapse of ethics. Last month, Peggy Gou pledged a since-canceled donation to the campaign on behalf of Jägermeister‘s #SaveOurNights initiative despite her close business partner, Usman Khushi, serving as director of the Glasgow establishment’s parent company.
Public posts and business filings gathered by anonymous electronic music industry watchdog Business Teshno suggest a conflict of interest between the aforementioned parties. On June 10th, Gou announced her involvement in #SaveOurNights, which would see Jägermeister donate €1 million to music brands sidelined by COVID-19. On July 7th – the same day #SaveOurSub was launched – she shared that Sub Club would be one of the recipients.
Gou’s professional relationship with Khushi has called the motives of such a donation into question. In addition to his role as one of the three directors of Sub Club parent company Outer Limits Ltd, he is the sole director of Gou’s merchandise business, Peggy Goods Ltd.
According to Business Teshno, spokespeople on behalf of Jägermeister stated that they stopped considering #SaveOurSub as a recipient because “donating to a club with business ties to people involved in the initiative would lead to false impressions and harm the cause it is designed for.”
The revelation comes a matter of days after The Ferret published an exposé showing that the parents of another Sub Club director, Barry Price had themselves sold the adjacent property to JD Wetherspoon. The developer’s legal battle with the club was included in the #SaveOurSub campaign description as one of the costs threatening the future of the establishment.
Spokespeople on behalf of Peggy Gou, Usman Khushi and Jägermeister did not immediately respond to Selector‘s request for comment.
