Re Contract

18 April 2002

          Compass Group wins two important new UK education contracts          

Compass Group PLC is delighted to announce that its specialist education
operating company, Scolarest, has been awarded two new local authority
contracts to supply school meals in Essex and Bedfordshire. The combined
turnover over the lives of the contracts totals £61 million.

For Bedfordshire County Council, Scolarest will provide catering services to
174 schools, serving 18,000 meals a day. The contract has annual revenues of
over £5m per annum and represents £39 million over seven years .

For Essex County Council Scolarest will be responsible for foodservice at 350
primary and 30 secondary schools in the county with total turnover of £22
million. The contract is for two years although the council has the option of
extending the agreement for a further four years.

Compass Group's UK & Ireland Division Chief Executive, Don Davenport, said:

'These are significant gains for Scolarest and reflect our market leading
position as the partner of choice for education authorities. Organisations are
increasingly keen to explore the benefits of outsourced catering solutions. We
are able to offer the benefits of scale, enhanced quality and service, as well
as a flexible and innovative approach to developing bespoke solutions. '

                                     Ends                                      

Enquiries:

Cathi Lawrence, Compass Group PLC 01932 573000

Tim Grey / Simon Sporborg, Brunswick 020 7404 5959

Notes to Editors

 1. Compass Group is the world's largest foodservice company with annual
    foodservice revenues in excess of £9bn. Compass Group has over 360,000
    employees working in more than 90 countries around the world providing
    foodservice and hospitality. For more information visit
    www.compass-group.com
   
 2. Scolarest is the specialist education operating company of Compass Group.
    In the UK alone it provides a range of catering services to over 2,000
    schools, colleges and universities.