SSP Group

SSP Group plc
Public
Traded as LSE: SSPG
Founded 1961
Headquarters London, England, UK
Area served
 Worldwide
Key people
 Vagn Sørensen, Chairman
Kate Swann, Chief Executive
Products Restaurants, Cafes, Bars, Fast Food
Services Foodservice
Revenue £2,379.1 million (2017)[1]
£162.9 million (2017)[1]
£111.2 million (2017)[1]
Number of employees
 36,783 (2017)[1]
Website www.foodtravelexperts.com

SSP Group plc is a British multinational company, headquartered in London, England, which operates branded Catering and Retail units at over 125 airports and 270 railway stations around the world as a concessionaire. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index.

History

The business was established as a division of SAS Group under the name of SAS Catering in 1961.[2] It was subsequently renamed Select Service Partner ('SSP') and acquired by Compass Group in May 1993 for £72 million.[3] Compass then merged SSP with several other companies it owned, including Travellers Fare, British Rail's former catering division which had been privatised under a management buy-out in 1988 before being bought by Compass in 1992.[4] In 2006 the business was bought by EQT Partners for £1.822 billion.[3] The company was the subject of an initial public offering in 2014.[5]

Operations

A Caffè Ritazza outlet at Hull Paragon railway station.

SSP operates a vast portfolio of small brands - most of which are locally specific. The significant brands include:[6]

SSP also provide outsourced catering on board a number of train services, operating under the brand RG (previously Rail Gourmet). Clients include Greater Anglia, Arriva Trains Wales, Chiltern Railways, DB Schenker, East Coast Main Line, East Midlands Trains, Eurostar, Great Western Railway, ScotRail, Gatwick Express and Hull Trains.[7]

Criticism

SSP brand Rail Gourmet came under criticism for giving staff four days notice that they were being made redundant on the Thameslink Railway routes.[8]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Annual report 2017" (PDF). SSP Group. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  2. ↑ "EQT to acquire Select Service Partner from Compass". EQT. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Compass sells Moto service stations and Upper Crust food chain for £1.8bn". 10 April 2006. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "Travellers Fare". Cinven. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "Shares rise in SSP stock market debut". The Telegraph. 10 July 2014. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  6. ↑ "Brands". SSP Group. Retrieved 25 April 2017.
  7. ↑ "SSP — RG". www.railgourmet.com. Retrieved 2018-01-16.
  8. ↑ Neilan, Catherine (2015-07-22). "Thameslink slammed as staff sacked with four days' notice". Retrieved 2018-01-16.
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