Radio Alice sites to convert to Berberè pizzeria following buyout deal

Radio Alice pizza restaurants will be converted to Berberè pizzeria sites, after the Italian company bought a controlling stake in parent group 8slices, the joint venture it set up in 2016 with Azzurri Group.

Brothers Salvatore and Matteo Aloe founded Berberè in 2010 and have grown it to 11 outposts across Italy. In 2016 they partnered with Azzurri Group, the firm behind Zizzi’s, to set up 8slices, to launch pizzerias in the UK.

Now, to establish a bigger presence they have bought a controlling stake and the three Radio Alice sites in Hoxton, Clapham and Canary Wharf, which will be rebranded under Berberè bringing them in line with the Italian restaurants.

The firm specialises in no-frills sourdough pizzas and following the change they plan to source more ingredients from a network of farmers and producers in the UK.

A Berberè spokesperson said: “Matteo and Salvatore love London, and in a time of Brexit, they still feel hugely inspired by our city and want to take more control of their business here - they hope that this impressive deal will allow them to bring the heart and soul of Berberè to the UK.”

In a joint statement Matteo and Salvatore said: "“We started with just one pizza oven, a collective of farmers and a young team in our hometown of Bologna. Our aim is to create quality sourdough pizza using the very best seasonal ingredients, offering the best quality pizza to everyone, and we hope that today’s deal allows us to continue our adventure in London,” say Matteo and Salvatore.

“Since opening our first pizzeria in Bologna, we are incredibly proud that our pizza has been awarded by the most important authorities of gastronomy in Italy. We received 3 slices from Gambero Rosso (the highest possible rating for pizzerias), in 2019 we were rated the best organic pizza in the world by Pizza Awards, and we regularly feature in the Top 50 Pizzas in Europe as chosen by 50toppizza.

“We would like to thank Azzurri Group and Emma King for enabling us to open in a city we love – after three successful years of our joint venture, we look forward to continuing our love affair with London. We are relocating to the UK to take full control of the day-to-day operations here, focusing on super good pizza served in beautiful spaces in line with what we do back home in Italy.”