By Anthony O. Goriainoff
UpperCrust owner SSP Group shares rose after the company said it planned to review its European rail business as part of a plan to realize value for shareholders.
Shares were up 22.50 pence, or 15%, at 170.60 pence.
The company--which operates chains including UpperCrust and Ritazza across airports and railway stations--said Thursday that the returns on its European rail investment haven't been adequate as passenger profiles have changed since the pandemic. The company said leisure travel has risen over commuting, and that there has been an increase in the food & beverage space and competition across the rail network.
The board said it was assessing all potential options and expects to update the market on or before it publishes interim results in May.
For the year ended Sept. 30 SSP swung to a pretax loss of 10.4 million pounds ($13.9 million) from a pretax profit of 118.6 million pounds after booking higher costs.
Revenue for the period rose to 3.64 billion pounds from 3.43 billion pounds last year. Revenue over the first eight weeks of fiscal 2026 was up 4% on a like-for-like basis, driven by North America.
The board proposed a full-year dividend of 4.2 pence a share, up from 3.5 pence last year.
Write to Anthony O. Goriainoff at anthony.orunagoriainoff@dowjones.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
December 04, 2025 04:07 ET (09:07 GMT)
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