Brighton Pier, one of the south east’s most famous landmarks, has been bought by former Pizza Express entrepreneur Luke Johnson for £18 million.
Eclectic Bar Group has entered into a conditional agreement to buy the Grade II* listed Palace Pier from the Noble Group which had originally offered it up for sale in 2011 but withdrew it the following year.

According to Visit Britain, the pier is the UK’s most visited attraction outside of London.

Brighton's other pier, the Grade I listed West Pier has been gradually destroyed by fires and storms over the years and the remains of the structure on the beach were cleared to make room for the British Airways i360 attraction, due to open to visitors this summer.

“We are very pleased to announce the acquisition of Brighton Pier, one of the most iconic and instantly recognisable attractions in the UK,” said Mr Johnson, adding “the pier is hugely popular with the British public and it occupies a special place as a landmark at the heart of Brighton.”

Mr Johnson and Hugh Osmond bought the 12-restaurant Pizza Express business in 1993 for about £20 million. By the time they sold it in 1999 the group was running over 250 restaurants and the share price had risen from 40p to 900p.