Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), the principal passenger railway operator in the Netherlands, has awarded UK-based SSP Group the contract to take over operations of 29 Starbucks stores operated in licensed partnership, following a competitive tender.
As part of its new strategy, NS will cease to directly operate some F&B and retail units at its railway stations and will be handing over operations of its Starbucks stores early January 2019, with all current colleagues transferring to SSP.
Kate Swann, SSP Group CEO, commented, “We’re delighted to have been selected by NS, as this award recognises our successful track record of running Starbucks stores in travel locations in the UK and Continental Europe. We look forward to further growing our operations in the Netherlands and welcoming NS colleagues into our team.”
Sytze van der Aa, Commercial Director for NS, added, “We have every confidence in SSP’s ability to successfully operate our Starbucks stores given their expertise as a global operator of brands in high footfall travel locations. SSP’s experience combined with our in-depth knowledge of the Dutch railway network gives us confidence in a bright future for our Starbucks colleagues and customers.”