Ritchie has entered into a joint venture with the pubco to open the Lukin on Conway Street, Fitzrovia, as a “pub and dining venue” later in the year.
The pub, which closed several months ago, will reopen with a new name and look. It will open its doors as the Lore of the Land.
He rose to acclaim directing the cult crime comedies Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Ritchie has most recently directed a trilogy of Sherlock Holmes films, starring Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law.
Industry return
The acquisition marks Ritchie’s homecoming to the hospitality industry, after a short-lived stint owning a Mayfair pub during his marriage to popstar Madonna.
Ritchie and Madonna bought the Punch Bowl for a reported £2.5m sum in 2008. It was a popular hangout for celebrities including the young princes William and Harry, David Beckham, and Leonardo DiCaprio. The pub was sold in 2013 to south-east based Cirrus Inns.
He is listed as one of the directors for Fatboy Pub Company Ltd on a government directory.
The company was incorporated at the start of the year, close to the January launch of Ritchie’s brewing company.
English Lore
The Gritchie Brewing Company, based in a converted barn on the producer’s estate on the Dorset/Wiltshire border, produces a 4% ABV pale ale called the English Lore.
It is described on the brewerys website as “a light to medium-bodied beer with a touch of caramel and a layering of floral and honey notes and bright flecks of citrus and orange marmalade”.
A spokesperson for Mitchells & Butlers said: “We can confirm we’ve entered a joint venture with Guy Ritchie to open a new pub and dining venue in central London.
“The venue will open later in the year with further details to follow.”