The group that owns the 126-year-old Brighton Palace Pier is intending to leave the London stock market and become a private company, dealing another blow to the capital’s junior market. The Brighton Pier Group, also owns several bars and mini-golf venues across the country, has stated they will cancel their listing on the Alternative Investment Market (AIM) due to factors such as adverse weather, decreased consumer spending, increasing wage costs, and higher interest rates. These reasons led to a significant drop in their share value. The company, led by business veteran and former Pizza Express and Patisserie Valerie executive Luke Johnson, has experienced challenging trading conditions since the pandemic, prompting the move to cut costs and sell underperforming assets.

Despite conducting a comprehensive review, the group believes delisting from the London Stock Exchange is in the best interest of the company and its investors, attributing this decision to the “disproportionate” costs and regulatory burdens associated with remaining listed. Shareholders will have the chance to vote on these plans at a meeting on April 22, with a 75% approval needed for the delisting to proceed. Johnson, who holds 27% of the company’s shares, was paid £20,000 for his role, according to the company’s most recent annual report. This move notably adds to a recent trend of companies leaving the AIM market, with Hornby, a model train manufacturer, having made a similar decision to reduce costs and its regulatory load.

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/02/brighton-pier-owner-to-delist-from-london-stock-market-and-go-private