Upper Crust owner SSP Group has maintained its full-year expectations after stronger trading across its UK and Ireland business helped offset disruption caused by the conflict in the Middle East. The travel food and convenience operator reported a four per cent year-on-year increase in group sales at constant currency during the three months to 30 June.
Like-for-like sales also rose four per cent. SSP said trading momentum had continued across three of its four operating regions, although a sharp decline in passenger numbers across the Gulf and other connected travel hubs held back its overall performance.
UK and Ireland Sales Jump 11%
The UK and Ireland was SSP’s strongest-performing region during the quarter, with like-for-like sales climbing 11 per cent. Total regional sales increased eight per cent year on year after accounting for changes to SSP’s estate.
The company attributed the performance to seasonal travel demand, improvements to its customer proposition and stronger operational delivery across its airport and railway station locations. Trading also received a modest benefit from comparison with the disruption caused by last year’s cyberattack at Marks & Spencer.
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SSP operates M&S Simply Food stores at a number of UK travel locations, alongside brands including Upper Crust, Starbucks, Burger King, Café Local and Millie’s Cookies. The figures underline the continued importance of convenience retail to SSP’s UK operation, where travellers use its stores for food-to-go, drinks, snacks and grocery essentials.
Middle East Conflict Hits Passenger Numbers
Stronger UK trading helped counter a weaker performance across SSP’s Asia-Pacific, Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East division. Like-for-like sales across the region fell two per cent during the quarter and slowed by 10 percentage points compared with the previous three months.
SSP said the conflict in the Middle East had reduced local and connecting passenger numbers across the Gulf and several major international travel hubs. Its Gulf operations traded at approximately 65 per cent of the prior year’s level during the quarter, equivalent to a 35 per cent like-for-like decline.
The impact spread beyond SSP’s directly affected Gulf locations, with fewer connecting passengers contributing to weaker-than-planned growth of three per cent in the Eastern Mediterranean and two per cent across Asia-Pacific. Despite the like-for-like decline, total sales across the combined region increased five per cent at constant currency as new openings and contract gains added seven percentage points to its performance.
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North American sales rose four per cent at constant currency during the quarter, including like-for-like growth of two per cent. SSP said passenger numbers became more subdued towards the end of the period, although changes to its food and drink offer supported trading. New restaurants opened within airports where the group already operates contributed a further two per cent to regional sales.
Continental European revenue was flat year on year, with two per cent like-for-like growth offset by SSP’s staged withdrawal from its German motorway service-area operation.
SSP is scheduled to publish its results for the year ending 30 September on 8 December 2026. SSP operates more than 3,000 food and drink outlets across 38 countries and employs approximately 49,000 people. Its formats range from cafés and takeaway counters to bars, restaurants, airport lounges and food-led convenience stores.
