Franco Manca, the pizza chain led by David Page, the former chief executive of Pizza Express, and Italian chef Giuseppe Mascoli, is understood to have secured a fifth site in London’s Balham as it looks to grow to a 10-strong estate in the capital.
The four-strong group is understood to have secured the Hop & Spice unit in Bedford Hill for an opening later this summer.
At the same time, former Gourmet Burger Kitchen managing director David Sykes has joined the company’s board as a non-executive director.
It is thought that the business will eventually be brought under Page’s new investment vehicle Fulham Shore.
Earlier this year, Mascoli said: “We need to get to 10 branches in London. Once we have that infrastructure we will absolutely be expanding outside the capital. The market is ready for us.”
Nick Fisher at GVA Hotels and Leisure is understood to have acted on the deal.
