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Nov 25 (Reuters) - SSP Group Plc, owner of the
Upper Crust chain of sandwich shops, on Thursday appointed
Patrick Coveney as CEO at a time when its outlets at train
stations and airports are lagging a broader food industry
recovery from COVID-19.
An industry veteran, Coveney joins from Irish convenience
food producer Greencore Group, where he was chief
executive, and will take up his new role at SSP in March,
replacing Simon Smith.
"Patrick is a strong and strategic leader, combining this
with proven financial and operational experience in some of the
most competitive categories in the food sector," said SSP
Chairman Mike Clasper in a statement.
In September, SSP warned that it might take until 2024 to
achieve pre-COVID revenue levels, on the back of a slower
recovery in sales due to uncertainty in the pace of rebound.
Separately, Greencore said a search process to appoint a new
chief will start immediately and that Non-Executive Chair Gary
Kennedy would take a more active role pending the CEO
appointment.
(Reporting by Priyanshi Mandhan in Bengaluru; Editing by Jan
Harvey)
