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SSP Group, which owns Upper Crust and Millie’s Cookies, reported a 5% increase in revenues to £3.8 billion for the year ending September but noted significant declines in passenger numbers in Middle Eastern travel hubs due to regional conflicts. Despite strong sales growth of 9% in the UK and Ireland during the fourth quarter, SSP experienced subdued traffic in North America and Asia Pacific, Eastern Europe, and the Middle East regions, impacting overall performance negatively. The company’s operating profit is now forecast to be slightly below expectations at around £230 million.
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
SSP Group, owner of Upper Crust and Millie’s Cookies, reported a 9% increase in sales in the UK and Ireland during the July-September period compared to the same time last year. Despite this, SSP noted a significant decline in passenger numbers at travel hubs around the Middle East due to regional conflicts. This affected areas including the Eastern Mediterranean, Asia Pacific, and Indian regions. Overall, SSP's annual revenues for the fiscal year ending September were £3.8 billion, a 5% increase from the previous year. While improvements such as refurbished Marks & Spencer shops boosted sales in some markets, the conflict’s impact on passenger traffic posed a challenge to future performance.
Written for “Middle East Travel Hubs Passenger Drop” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 2 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.
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
conflict → drive → 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
Traffic in the surrounding regions nonetheless continued to reflect lower numbers of local and connecting travellers, SSP said.
asserted
SSP → surround → travellers
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
Read More
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 → read → million
Shares in the company were down by around 5% in early trading on Friday following the update.
asserted
Shares → follow → 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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