'National treasure' Brighton pier put up for sale

Brighton's Palace Pier has been put up for sale with suggestions new owners could be found by the summer, its chief executive says.

The Brighton Pier Group will put the 126-year-old Grade II* Listed pier on the market for an undisclosed price, saying the decision was made to return the best value for money for shareholders.

The decision follows warnings of "difficult" trading for the pier in previous years which have been linked to a decline in tourism in Brighton and poor summer weather.

Anne Ackord, the group's CEO, said: "The pier is an integral part of Brighton and I know the local council and residents appreciate that."

Ms Ackord added: "Of course there is an element of sadness. It has been a difficult decision but we have shareholders and we have decided that our duty is to them.

"It's not just a national treasure but a Brighton treasure as well. You are buying a piece of history."

Ms Ackord said any prospective buyer "would want to be in situ by the summer", suggesting a sale could be completed before the pier's busiest trading period.

She added that, while the group was not publicly stating a price for the pier, those wishing to buy it would need "many millions".

Brighton Palace Pier opened in May 1899 after three years of construction, and the Brighton Pier Group bought the structure in 2016 for £18m.

Brighton Pier Group previously said that 2023 and 2024 had been "difficult" years for the pier, blaming a decline in tourism in Brighton.

In March 2025 Ms Ackord warned of a "very difficult trading situation over the last few years, wherein costs have risen overall by about 50%".

And in November it warned that it was considering selling the 1,772ft (540m) long structure.

The pier's like-for-like sales dropped by 4% in 2024, compared with 2023.

An admission fee of £1 for non-residents was introduced in 2024 and doubled to £2 in March, and this "partially alleviated" lost revenue from the pier, a report filed in Companies House said.

Brighton Pier Group also previously said it was actively marketing Lightwater Valley, its theme park in Ripon, North Yorkshire, for £3m in October.