From its inauspicious roots as a Brixton Market pizzeria, Franco Manca – as famous for its queues as it is for its sourdough crust – has built an enviable restaurant empire. So enviable in fact that David Page’s Fulham Shore wants to buy it.

The restaurant group behind The Real Greek (which saw an uptick in positive survey feedback last year) has conditionally agreed to acquire 99% of Rocca Limited (the owners of Franco Manca) for a reported £27.5m – £6.2m in cash and the remainder in shares. The “outstanding” sourdough pizza specialist currently has restaurants in London, but Fulham Shore believes the chain has the potential to grow to at least 40 sites across the UK over the next five years.