Fynveur, an investment holding owned by Artal and advised by Invus, has taken a majority stake in Mission Mars, the Manchester-founded group behind Rudy’s Napoletana and Albert’s Schloss. The deal completed on 27 October for an undisclosed sum and ends BGF’s eight-year investment in the 44-site operator.
Mission Mars runs 40 Rudy’s Napoletana pizzerias and four Albert’s Schloss venues across the UK and employs 1,800 people, according to The Caterer, an estate larger than most restaurant franchises in the UK.
BGF first invested in 2018 and supported the group as it grew from its Manchester base. The existing management team stays in post, and the group says the new backing will speed up the rollout of both brands. The deal follows results published in June in which the group reported record turnover and a sharp rise in profit.
What the group has reported
For the year to 28 September 2025, Mission Mars reported turnover of £116.5 million, up from £92.9 million, and pre-tax profit of nearly £7.2 million, against £2.5 million a year earlier. Rudy’s contributed £62.2 million and the bars business £53.8 million.
The group opened seven Rudy’s pizzerias during the year, in Prestwich, Newcastle, Leamington Spa, West Bridgford, Clapham Common, Bristol and Brighton. Finance director Michael Woolley said most of the openings beat expectations from day one, TheBusinessDesk reported. Roy Ellis and Neil Macleod founded the business in Manchester in 2015, according to The Caterer.
Who is behind the deal
Fynveur is the investment holding of Artal, with global investment firm Invus advising. BGF has fully exited, having put in £10 million of equity in 2018, according to TheBusinessDesk. The acquisition is supported by a debt facility from Santander, HSBC and NatWest, and Clearwater acted as debt adviser.
TheBusinessDesk reported in October 2025 that Mission Mars had appointed Houlihan Lokey to weigh funding options, including a possible £100 million sale or a separate sale of Rudy’s. Invus managing director Luc Ta-Ngoc said the aim is to bring both brands to more people and places.
Openings in the pipeline
Mission Mars said in June that it planned six new Rudy’s pizzerias in 2026, and The Caterer reports that its first Rudy’s in Scotland is due to open this month, a format covered in our guide to opening a pizzeria in the UK. Propel reported on 28 October that Rudy’s plans four openings before the end of the year, with a “solid pipeline in place”.
In June the group also hinted at expanding Albert’s Schloss across the UK and potentially overseas. It is also open to acquisitions. Roy Ellis, chief executive of Mission Mars, said the group is “keen to explore potential strategic acquisitions” as it grows.
What the deal says about the market
BGF’s partner described the sector as one that has faced well-documented challenges, and the investment arrives on the day of the Budget, when operators were weighing business rates and wage costs, pressures carried by the franchisee rather than the brand across the UK franchise directory. Propel’s briefing that day also carried a Popeyes UK chief executive speaking of “sizeable white space” for expansion, the territory language used across the fast food franchises in the UK.
A note on the operating model
The coverage reviewed describes Mission Mars as the operator of its Rudy’s Napoletana and Albert’s Schloss sites. None of it says either brand is franchised, so this article calls the business a group and an operator.
