London Road business backer offers message of hope

The former chief executive of Pizza Express may inspire investors to take a look at the efforts to revive London Road, Brighton.

David Page, who built the business with Luke Johnson and Hugh Osmond, holds a 13 per cent stake in Meat Liquor, in York Place, yards from the southern end of London Road.

He specialises in finding good sites with low rents.

Mr Page, talking about the progress of his investment portfolio, said that Meat Liquor in Brighton, was turning over about £1.5 million while paying an annual rent of £30,000.

He told Propel, the food and drink trade newsletter, that “with a better product at a better price restaurants can really prosper in off-pitch locations”.

Mr Page also told Propel: “All the businesses I’m currently involved in aim to do the best product in their market segment at the lowest price.

“My role is usually to raise the start-up money and find the sites. I then leave the managers and my partners to run the businesses and get to bed at 2am.”

Meat Liquor is his most high-profile investment at the moment, with a fifth site opening in Leeds last week and more planned in London, Bristol and Glasgow.

The outlets are built around a “better burger concept” and the business is run by Scott Collins and Ioannis Papoustis, with Mr Page supporting them as chairman and shareholder.

Mr Page drew up the original business plan for the company after meeting the founders three years ago.