SSP Group launches new café and retail concept in the UK

A Café Local store in Peterborough | Photo credit: SSP Group

SSP Group has launched a new travel-focused café and retail concept at 15 UK rail stations. 
 

Café Local offers barista-prepared coffee alongside bakery products, confectionery and travel essentials as is designed for smaller, regional rail stations which often have limited retail facilities. 

SSP Group plans to significantly expand Café Local across the UK over the next few years with a further 15 stores slated to open within the next 12 months. 

The travel concession operator said initial sales across the first 15 stores, including stations in Exeter, Dover, Sheffield and Peterborough, had ‘exceeded expectations’. 

“We’re delighted to upgrade our regional rail offer with the new Café Local brand, which is already proving to be a success with customers. With one-stop convenience, Café Local meets a broad spectrum of customer needs under a single roof, and we very much look forward to opening more outlets in the coming months,” said Kari Daniels, CEO, SSP UK and Ireland. 

UK-based SSP Group is one of the largest food and beverage retailers in airports and railway stations in the world. It operates licensed Greggs, M&S Simply Food, Starbucks and LEON stores alongside its own brands, Upper Crust and Soul & Grain, in the UK and Ireland.  

In November 2022 SSP Group acquired AMT Coffee out of administration, retaining 25 of the coffee chain’s 43 outlets.