Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL) Director Mukesh Ambani has acquired Britain’s iconic country club and luxury golf resort, Stoke Park, for £57 million ( about Rs 592 crore). Worth mentioning here is that this is the second time Ambani has bought a legacy British brand. In 2019, he acquired the 261-year-old British toy store chain Hamleys to strengthen his retail footprint.
The acquisition adds to Reliance’s consumer and hospitality assets. It is worth noting that in the last four years, the Mumbai-based oil-to telecom conglomerate has announced $3.3 billion in acquisitions with 14 per cent in retail, 80 per cent in technology, media, and telecom sector, and 6 per cent in energy.
In a stock exchange filing, the company has mentioned that the Stoke Park investment was routed through its wholly-owned subsidiary Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Ltd (RIIHL). “Reliance Industrial Investments and Holdings Ltd (RIIHL), a wholly-owned subsidiary of RIL, has on April 22, 2021, acquired the entire issued share capital of Stoke Park Ltd, a company incorporated in the UK, for £57 million,” it said.
“RIIHL will look to enhance the sports and leisure facilities at this heritage site, while fully complying with the planning guidelines and local regulations,” Reliance said.
Stoke Park Limited owns and manages sporting and leisure facilities in Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, U.K. The facilities include a hotel, conference facilities, sports facilities, and one of the highest-rated golf courses in Europe.
Although the Stoke Park estate has a recorded history of over 900 years, it was used as a private residence until 1908, according to its official website. The Mansion was designed by James Wyatt (architect to George III) who worked on the development of The Mansion and monuments from 1790 to 1813. In 1791, Humphry Repton was commissioned to upgrade Lancelot “Capability” Brown’s landscaping of the grounds.
Stoke Park hosts 49 luxury bedrooms and suits, 27-hole golf course, 13 tennis courts and 14 acres of private gardens. Stoke Park has also had a close relationship to Pinewood Studios and the British film industry. In fact, two James Bond movies, Goldfinger (1964) and Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) were filmed at Stoke Park. The famous ‘mini break’ and rowing scenes from Bridget Jones’s Diary (2001) were filmed in the Great Hall, Lakes and The Pennsylvania Suite.
