Statement re Employee Trust

Compass Group PLC
22 March 2002



Compass Group PLC (the Company) announces that on 22 March 2002, Ogier Employee
Benefit Trustee Limited, as Trustee of the Compass Group Employee Trust No 2
(the Trust), subscribed for 42,546 ordinary shares in the Company (Shares).

The Shares were subscribed at 476.5p per Share, being the middle market
quotation of a Share on 20 March 2002. Following this acquisition, the Trustee
distributed 38,675 shares to satisfy participants' entitlements under the
Compass Group Commitment Share Plan (the Commitment Plan) and 3,871 shares to
satisfy entitlements under an offer made by the Company to employees at the time
of the Granada Compass Merger, whereby employees who exercised non-maturing
sharesave options at that time would receive an additional allocation of shares
after 27 January 2002.

Following the distribution of these shares, no shares are held by the Trustee. 

Ronald M Morley 
Secretary

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