FoI laws give Upper Crust owner advantage in rail rents row

SSP, the owner of Upper Crust and Ritazza coffee, used a ministerial directive obtained under freedom of information laws to gain an advantage in negotiations with railway station owners. The tactic will allow the FTSE 250 company, one of the world’s biggest travel retailers, to slash rents owed to train operators that run most of the UK’s stations, at a cost of millions of pounds to taxpayers. SSP wrote to the train companies saying that it was in receipt of a letter sent by the Dep