SSP

[boyaloud]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts /inside info on ssp? All their sites are still shuttered at Manchester Piccadilly, in fact the whole balcony is still closed, plus James Martin Kitchen and upper crust. Very weird seeing the Mill/Balcony/Mayfield pub still closed.

 

[Scott1]

I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts /inside info on ssp? All their sites are still shuttered at Manchester Piccadilly, in fact the whole balcony is still closed, plus James Martin Kitchen and upper crust. Very weird seeing the Mill/Balcony/Mayfield pub still closed. I'm hoping they have gone bust and so some decent companies like Wetherspoon and McDonald's can take over these sites as well as "tap" independents and the like.

Not well be all accounts, with footfall so low in stations and airports it isn't worth reopening many shops yet, and their Rail Gourmet operations are all still suspended. Unfortunately they have announced massive lay offs are coming, around 5000 staff.

Upper Crust and Caffè Ritazza owner to cut 5,000 UK jobs

Travel decline hits SSP Group’s outlets based at railway stations and airports

www.theguardian.com

 

[pdeaves]

5,000 jobs lost: https://www.ft.com/content/ac304b99-0e93-40c0-b807-e06b3deb0f93

 

[route101]

Same at Edinburgh and Glasgow , all still closed. Only boots is open in Glasgow Central. Nothing open in Edinburgh , nearest place for grub is Sainsburys at St Andrews Sq.

 

[Ashley Hill]

worth reopening many shops yet, and their Rail Gourmet operations are all still suspended

Rail Gourmet are operating,albeit limited,on GWR.Certainly Plymouth and Paddington RG depots are operational.

 

[LowLevel]

In my area they have a limited service centre operation delivering cleaning products and other supplies to trains through Rail Gourmet but all customer facing staff are laid off/furloughed. With their delightful business model/practices they won't be back until they can get back to printing money figuratively speaking with their low wages and high prices, their business ethics leave much to be desired.

 

[marko2]

SSP.... Eggs and baskets spring to mind. Perhaps not the winning business model it once was.

 

[Geeves]

Say what you like you like about Wetherspoons but they treat their staff one hundred times better than SSP. So many horror stories. They laid the majority of them off at Manchester Victoria on the very day of the lock down. Absolutely ruthless.

It really would not be terrible if the stations had some internal competition instead of being entirely SSP franchises. perhaps we might see the prices come down from eye watering to just a little expensive or as said some decent independents.

 

[Bald Rick]

Say what you like you like about Wetherspoons but they treat their staff one hundred times better than SSP. So many horror stories. They laid the majority of them off at Manchester Victoria on the very day of the lock down. Absolutely ruthless.

A bit like Wetherspoons, who stopped paying their staff on the day lockdown started.

 

[JamesT]

A bit like Wetherspoons, who stopped paying their staff on the day lockdown started.

They U-turned on that fairly quickly and continued paying their staff under the furlough scheme rather than waiting to receive the government funding.

 

[Starmill]

They U-turned on that fairly quickly and continued paying their staff under the furlough scheme rather than waiting to receive the government funding.

Only after media reports and public pressure. They then immediately went on to try and rip off small firms who supply them.

I'm not arguing for a boycott of Wetherspoon, but one has to admit that their employment opportunities couldn't be described as high quality. Better than SSP is about the best that could be said for them. What I'm told they are extremely masterful at however is negotiating rent down, much more so than firms like SSP who have contributed to the build up of an ecosystem in station retailing where everyone must charge extraordinarily high prices because the rent is so high. Rumour has it that at Manchester Piccadilly the former unit that housed the Bread Box was retired simply to push up the rents of the others - that one was a very cheap outlet taking revenue away from other coffee shops. Today the place where it was is occupied by three vending machines dispensing face masks and hand sanitiser at extortionate prices.

If the market re-set to a degree by this, though brutal for all involved, it could result in much improved range and quality of products in station retail.

 

[SteveM70]

Say what you like you like about Wetherspoons but they treat their staff one hundred times better than SSP. So many horror stories. They laid the majority of them off at Manchester Victoria on the very day of the lock down. Absolutely ruthless.

It really would not be terrible if the stations had some internal competition instead of being entirely SSP franchises. perhaps we might see the prices come down from eye watering to just a little expensive or as said some decent independents.

Victoria is certainly not an SSP monopoly as (at least) Java is independent and I’m 99.9% sure Greggs is as well. (I’m assuming you mean a catering monopoly and you don’t think the barbers is one of theirs too )

I do recall that prior to Costa opening there were “to let” signs on that unit, as I remember being surprised that they were posted on behalf of Northern. Unless that was an elaborate pretence at open competition, the opportunity was there for anyone to take that shop.

 

[yorksrob]

It really would not be terrible if the stations had some internal competition instead of being entirely SSP franchises. perhaps we might see the prices come down from eye watering to just a little expensive or as said some decent independents.

Indeed. The offer for passengers is generally a lot better if there are different providers, rather than just SSP operating everything. Yes, these tend to be the bigger stations, but you can tell the variety. I've also had doubts about a business model that thinks that it will be profitable to sell sausage rolls for £3 a pop at Barrow in Furness for example.

It's also noticable that the non-SSP outlets seem to be coming back a lot quicker than the SSP ones.

 

[Bald Rick]

I'm not arguing for a boycott of Wetherspoon...

I am!

I’ve found an app called ‘Neverspoons’ which finds you decent independent pubs close to any Wetherspoons.

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Are any Costas back on stations?
Their staff always seem a lot more cheerful than those in the SSP outlets, as well as being cleaner/nicer places overall.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I am not a poor man - but one does / did balk at the top end prices in many "monoplist" locations - I have lamented in the past about the lack of choice and high prices at Temple Meads. Around the £4.50 mark for a Cornish Pasty is well out of order IMHO - (say three modest ones for £2 at your average local bakery in South West Wales , and not just in the villages either) - hence a tendancy to take home made sustenance.

Just not sustainable - so maybe we could see , as Starmill says above - a re-set.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I was quite surprised the M&S Foods didn't stay open - if you were going to have one shop on a station that one makes the most sense, being both a supermarket and a food place, and many of them having a tea/coffee machine too.

I am not a poor man - but one does / did balk at the top end prices in many "monoplist" locations - I have lamented in the past about the lack of choice and high prices at Temple Meads. Around the £4.50 mark for a Cornish Pasty is well out of order IMHO - (say three modest ones for £2 at your average local bakery in South West Wales , and not just in the villages either) - hence a tendancy to take home made sustenance.

Temple Meads is lacking in anything (on site or nearby), really. I'd love to see the old concourse converted a bit like Leeds so there's a proper selection as per a decent major station.

 

[ChiefPlanner]

I was quite surprised the M&S Foods didn't stay open - if you were going to have one shop on a station that one makes the most sense, being both a supermarket and a food place, and many of them having a tea/coffee machine too.



Temple Meads is lacking in anything (on site or nearby), really. I'd love to see the old concourse converted a bit like Leeds so there's a proper selection as per a decent major station.

I can only guess that M+S "walked away" for now , due to lack of throughput of passengers thus giving high risk to wastage and high staff costs. I was very impressed how , in the very early days when people were ultra concerned about real basics (we can all remember this) , M+S in the city stores maintained their standards and choice in the sandwich range. Very well done. Their stuff is generally very good and if not being a cheapskate with home brought food , then M+S is the "go to" place at stations etc.

Bristol could potentially have a great "bistro" type place in the rather nice buffet building , as opposed to little food bar junk snacks and offers of "cans for the train" - not impressed , as said before.

 

[DarloRich]

I am!

I’ve found an app called ‘Neverspoons’ which finds you decent independent pubs close to any Wetherspoons.

Me to. Great app.

 

[superjohn]

Most of the M&S Food stores on stations are actually franchises, operated by...SSP.

 

[greaterwest]

Seems like all(?) SSP franchised operations are still suspended in SWR land. M&S Simply Food stayed open at Guildford and Woking for a few weeks into the lockdown but are now closed. FCB Coffee (which is not an SSP franchise) has reopened part-time.

 

[plymothian]

No SSP franchises open in the South West either and no sign of [if ever] reopening. As well as Bristol Temple Meads already mentioned, this leaves Exeter St David's and Plymouth with no open retailers and no immediate alternatives except a corner shop several minutes away in both cases.

 

[Philip Phlopp]

Temple Meads is lacking in anything (on site or nearby), really. I'd love to see the old concourse converted a bit like Leeds so there's a proper selection as per a decent major station.

There is to be something coming - the station refurbishment and redevelopment proposals include new retail units, which it is intended will be fitted out in a way that will make them appealing to independent operators (whatever that actually entails).