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SSP Group, which owns Upper Crust and Millie’s Cookies and operates food outlets at travel hubs, reported a 5% increase in annual revenue to £3.8 billion but noted a sharp decline in passenger numbers around the Middle East due to regional conflicts. While sales in the UK and Ireland surged by 9%, the company experienced subdued growth of just 1% across APAC and EEME regions, where passenger volumes returned to only 90% of pre-pandemic levels. SSP expects its operating profit for the full year to be around £230 million, slightly below earlier projections.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In late September, SSP Group, owner of food and drink outlets like Upper Crust and Millie’s Cookies, reported a 5% revenue increase to £3.8 billion for the year, with sales jumping by 9% in the UK and Ireland during the fourth quarter from July to September. This growth was attributed to strong summer trading and improvements such as refurbished Marks & Spencer shops. However, SSP warned of a significant decline in passenger numbers due to the Middle East conflict affecting travel hubs in the Gulf region, Eastern Mediterranean, Asia Pacific, and Indian regions, impacting overall financial performance despite being resilient in challenging conditions.
Written for “Middle East Travel Hubs Passenger Drop” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
Upper Crust owner sees sharp drop in passengers around Middle East travel hubs
Upper Crust and Millie’s Cookies owner SSP has reported a jump in sales in the UK and Ireland but cautioned over a sharp drop in passenger numbers in regions surrounding the Middle East and fewer in the US.
asserted
Crust → see → US
SSP Group, which operates food and drink outlets in travel hubs like train stations and airports, said its financial performance in recent months had been “resilient” in a “challenging environment”.
asserted
performance → operate → environment
Revenues totalled £3.8 billion for the year to the end of September, which was 5% higher than the year before.
asserted
which → total → year
Over the fourth quarter, between July and September, sales in the UK and Ireland jumped by 9% compared with like-for-like with the same period last year.
asserted
sales → jump → period
This was driven by strong trading over the peak summer period and improvements to its outlets including refurbished Marks & Spencer shops.
asserted
This → drive → shops
SSP operates franchised stores for brands like M&S, Starbucks, Burger King and The Breakfast Club.
asserted
SSP → operate → M&S
However, the FTSE 100-listed company said a sharp contraction in the volume of passengers in the Gulf and in key travel hubs across the region since the Middle East conflict had impacted trading, as well as in the surrounding Eastern Mediterranean, Asia Pacific and Indian regions.
asserted
contraction → list → regions
In the fourth quarter, sales rose by 1% across the APAC and EEME region (Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe and Middle East), with passenger volumes returning to 90% of prior-year levels.
asserted
volumes → rise → levels
It also said there had been more subdued passenger numbers through North America in the summer, but that sales grew by 2% year-on-year for the fourth quarter.
asserted
sales → say → quarter
SSP told investors that it now expects its operating profit to be slightly lower than expected for the full year, of around £230 million.
asserted
profit → tell → million
Read More
Shares in the company were down by around 5% in early trading on Friday following the update.
asserted
Shares → read → update
Patrick Coveney, SSP’s chief executive, said: “We have delivered a resilient Q4 (fourth quarter) trading performance in a challenging environment.
asserted
We → say → environment
“Despite the significant impact of the Middle East conflict on passenger volumes in APAC & EEME, the strength and diversification of our portfolio leaves us well-positioned to deliver group earnings per share for the year in line with current market expectations.”
asserted
strength → leave → expectations
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