Restaurant chain Pizza Express has agreed a £900 million deal which will see Chinese firm Honey Capital take over the group’s ownership.

The UK’s Gondola Group, which also owns UK pizza chains Zizzi and ASK Italian, recently opened the first Pizza Express branch in Beijing and chief executive Richard Hodgson said expansion in Asia was a "key part" of future growth strategy.

There are 436 Pizza Express restaurants in the UK along with 68 international branches - including 22 in China - employing a total of more than 9,000 people.