REG - Office of Rail&Road SSP Group PLC - ORR’s rail station catering market recommendations

SSPAnnouncement

12/06/2024 07:15

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RNS Number : 0492S  Office of Rail and Road  12 June 2024

 

ORR's railway station catering market
recommendations

The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) has today published its final report into
the railway station catering market, setting out recommendations to reduce
barriers to competition.

ORR's recommendations include:

 * Requiring a greater focus on passengers' satisfaction and requirements of
catering by using more consumer research, to provide an offer at stations that
meets customer needs

 * A presumption in favour of competitive tendering of outlets for leases which
are due to expire

 * Simplifying and standardising contracts to make it easier for new entrants to
the market

 * Ensuring station operators contract out of the 1954 Landlord and Tenant Act
for new leases of outlets at stations, whenever possible; and engage with the
Law Commission's upcoming consultation on amendments to the Act to reform
protected leases

 * A greater degree of strategic direction and support to station operators by
public funders.

ORR will also respond to the Law Commission's public consultation and share
its findings. Namely, that such leases tend to foreclose parts of the market
and make them non contestable and that the conditions to terminate leases are
too restrictive.

ORR is tasking the Rail Delivery Group with coordinating the rail industry's
response to its recommendations.  ORR will monitor progress and provide a
report on the impact of the recommendations.

ORR is publishing this notice under its statutory duty to conclude its market
study by 16 June.

 

Notes to editor

1. Final report
(https://www.orr.gov.uk/railway-station-catering-market-study) :
(https://www.orr.gov.uk/railway-station-catering-market-study) Railway station
catering market study
(https://www.orr.gov.uk/railway-station-catering-market-study)

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