Compass Group

What Compass Group does

Compass Group PLC is the publicly traded parent of the world's largest contract catering organization, headquartered in Chertsey, Surrey, United Kingdom, and listed on the London Stock Exchange under ticker CPG. The company generates revenue primarily through long-term B2B contracts that deliver customized gastronomic meal services and auxiliary cleaning, maintenance, and personnel support to institutional clients across corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, and premium event settings. Its operating model is organized around a multi-brand architecture — Eurest (Business & Industry), Scolarest (Education), Medirest (Healthcare and Senior Living), Vilaplana (Premium Events), Levy (Sports & Leisure), and Seral (Social Care) — each with dedicated direct sales teams serving distinct verticals in over 40 countries.

Underlying operations are anchored by ISO 9001, ISO 22000, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 certifications, HACCP food safety systems, full supply chain traceability, AI/IoT-driven efficiency programs, and proprietary culinary innovation platforms including Fish Revolution (with chef Ángel León and Grupo Nueva Pescanova), Mix&Delices (texturization for dysphagia patients), Healthy & Delices, and the MediRest patient nutrition platform expanded across Europe in 2024. The company combines local-operator flexibility with multinational procurement scale and operates marketing channels spanning LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, corporate websites, and trade events such as HIP, Fitur, and Alimarket.

Recent growth has been driven by an aggressive European consolidation strategy: completed acquisitions of CH&CO (€547M), 4Service (€455M), and Dupont Restauration (€296M) in 2024, plus a 2025 definitive agreement to acquire Vermaat Groep B.V. for approximately $1.76B. The revenue model is subscription-like through multi-year B2B outsourcing contracts, supplemented by managed-services event revenue for sports and cultural venues (e.g., Levy at The Jockey Club, Vilaplana at MotoGP VIP Village and Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup), and complemented by CSR and ESG programs (Grow Food Banks, Fundación Eurest, Woman's Academy, One Great Planet).

Name

Compass Group

Legal name

Compass Group PLC

Website

https://compass-group.es

Company type

Public

Founded year

1941

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Compass Group PLC is the publicly traded parent of the world's largest contract catering organization, providing customized meal services across corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, and premium events through long-term B2B contracts in over 40 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Madrid

HQ country

Spain

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Contract Catering Services: Compass Group generates revenue primarily through long-term contracts to design and serve customized gastronomic offerings for businesses, schools, hospitals, senior residences, social centers, events, and food delivery. Revenue growth of ~9.75% in 2024 for major players, with Compass growing through M&A including Vermaat Groep ($1.76B in 2025), CH&CO (€547M), 4Service (€455M), and Dupont Restauration (€296M).
2. Sports, Leisure & Events Catering: Levy, Compass Group's sports and leisure division, provides premium hospitality at sports venues and high-end events including MotoGP VIP Village, Cheltenham Racecourse, and the Louis Vuitton 37th America's Cup, contributing to revenue through venue-based hospitality contracts.
3. Auxiliary Services: Compass Group additionally offers cleaning, maintenance, and auxiliary personnel services alongside its food catering offerings, complementing the core catering business.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Compass Group designs and serves customized gastronomic offerings for businesses, schools, hospitals, senior residences, social centers, events, and food delivery clients under long-term B2B contracts. The company also provides complementary auxiliary services including cleaning, maintenance, and auxiliary personnel. It operates through specialized sub-brands such as Eurest (business and industry), Scolarest (education), Medirest (healthcare and senior care), Vilaplana (premium events), Levy (sports and leisure), Seral (social care), and Vitarest (home meal delivery).

Product overview

Compass Group is a global contract catering company operating through multiple specialized sub-brands. The core portfolio includes Eurest (business and industry), Scolarest (education), Medirest (healthcare), Vilaplana (high-end events), and Seral (social care), complemented by innovation programs like Fish Revolution (school nutrition R&D), Mix&Delices (healthcare texturization), and Alimentamos las emociones (senior wellbeing). The company also operates Vitarest for home meal delivery. Additional services include cleaning, maintenance, and auxiliary personnel. Sustainability initiatives include One Great Planet, Stop Food Waste, and Grow Food Banks social program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Eurest: Business and industry catering services
• Scolarest
• Medirest
• Vilaplana
• Levy
• Seral

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.75% average growth rate in 2024 for major contract catering players, outpacing overall market growth of 5.3%
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• Vermaat Groep B.V.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025In 2025, Compass Group PLC announced a definitive agreement to acquire Vermaat Groep B.V. for approximately $1.76 billion. Vermaat is a major contract catering and hospitality company in the Netherlands and Belgium, significantly expanding Compass Group's presence in the Benelux region as part of its ongoing European consolidation strategy.
• CH&CO GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Group acquired CH&CO for €547 million. CH&CO secured premium catering contracts at London cultural institutions as part of Compass Group's UK expansion strategy.
• 4ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Group acquired 4Service for €455 million as part of its M&A consolidation strategy in the European contract catering market.
• Dupont RestaurationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Group acquired Dupont Restauration for €296 million, contributing to market consolidation in the contract catering sector.
• Fundación Eurest (Compass Group Foundation)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Fundación Eurest is Compass Group's charitable foundation focused on collaborating, sponsoring, and supporting charitable initiatives for clients and organizations in need. It drives social action including the Panettone Solidario and Grow Food Banks programs.
• San Juan de Dios EspañacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Juan de Dios España collaborates with Compass Group on the Woman's Academy (designating 15 women participants for employability training as kitchen assistants) and provides social care facilities where Compass serves meals. The organizations maintain an established relationship with Compass providing gastronomy services in over 12 of the order's centers across Spain.
• Universidad Francisco de Vitoria (UFV)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUFV provides academic accreditation for Compass Group España's Woman's Academy program, lending university recognition to participants who earn diplomas upon completing the 6-month training program as kitchen assistants.
• Humano360coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumano360 delivers the theoretical training for Woman's Academy participants, preparing them as kitchen assistants through a 6-month program combining 2 months of theory and 4 months of unpaid work placements.
• Ángel León (Chef) and Grupo Nueva PescanovaflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerFish Revolution is a culinary R&D partnership with Michelin-star chef Ángel León and Grupo Nueva Pescanova to develop innovative fish-based dishes (Fish Pizza, Fish Tortilla, Fish Lasagna, Fish Focaccia) for school cafeterias, aimed at increasing seafood protein consumption among children. The initiative has been running since 2022.
• Fundación IntegraminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Group España maintains agreements with Fundación Integra to support labor integration of at-risk exclusion groups.
• Incorpora (Obra Social La Caixa)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Group partners with Incorpora, the social integration initiative of La Caixa Bank, to facilitate labor market access for vulnerable populations.
• Fundación Inserta (ONCE)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Group collaborates with Fundación Inserta de la ONCE for the labor inclusion of people with disabilities.
• Cruz Roja EspañolaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Group supports Cruz Roja's social action programs through its corporate social responsibility initiatives.
• Grow Food Banks NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompass Group España participates in the Grow Food Banks initiative, having contributed near 350 tonnes of donated food since July 2020. The program engages customers, users, suppliers, and employees in food redistribution to vulnerable communities across six Spanish cities.
• Oriol Balaguer (Pastry Chef)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe prestigious pastry chef Oriol Balaguer, winner of Best Panettone of Spain (2017) and Best Artisan Roscón (2024), creates the panettones for Compass Group España's Panettone Solidario initiative. The partnership produces approximately 3,000 units annually distributed to vulnerable families.
• The Jockey Club (UK)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerLevy, the sports and leisure division of Compass Group, entered into a £100m, two-decade partnership with The Jockey Club to provide hospitality at UK racecourses including Cheltenham, Aintree, and Epsom Downs, with plans for rooftop hospitality and venue transformation.
• MotoGP (Dorna Sports)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerVilaplana Catering provides Michelin-star gastronomy at MotoGP VIP Village hospitality zones across multiple Grand Prix events including Spain, Italy, Aragon, and Catalunya. The partnership showcases premium catering at elite motorsport hospitality venues.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Sodexo: Sodexo is one of the two largest global contract catering and facilities management companies, directly competing with Compass across B&I, healthcare, education, and senior living verticals under comparable outsourced, multi-year contract structures.
• Aramark: Aramark is a direct competitor providing contract food, facilities, and uniform services across the same institutional verticals as Compass (corporate, healthcare, education, sports, leisure) under similar long-term B2B contract economics.
• Elior Group: Elior is a European-headquartered contract catering and multiservice peer with strong overlap in B&I, education, and healthcare — directly competing for institutional food service contracts across France, Spain, and Italy.
• Avolta: Avolta (formerly Dufry/Autogrill) operates travel hospitality and food service concessions, overlapping with Compass's Levy and Vilaplana sports/leisure and premium events verticals and competing for similar high-traffic venue contracts.
• SSP Group: SSP operates branded food and beverage concessions in travel and event venues, overlapping with Compass's Levy sports/leisure and Vilaplana premium events divisions for hospitality contracts at airports, stations, and sports arenas.
• Delaware North: Delaware North is a global hospitality and food service company focused on sports venues, travel hubs, and gaming — directly comparable to Compass's Levy division for stadium, arena, and event hospitality contracts.
• Centerplate: Centerplate (now part of Sodexo Live!) provides event hospitality and venue catering for stadiums and convention centers, comparable to Compass's Levy and Vilaplana operations for sports and premium event hospitality.

Emerging players

• Gategroup: Gategroup specializes in airline catering and in-flight services, partially overlapping with Compass's historical Eurest Inflight business and adjacent institutional food services for travel-related verticals.
• Atalian Servest: Atalian Servest provides integrated facilities management including contract catering across Europe, overlapping with Compass's multi-vertical outsourced food service model particularly in the UK and continental Europe.

Broad incumbents

• ISS A/S: ISS is a global facility services provider that bundles catering with cleaning, security, and support services — comparable to Compass's auxiliary services offering and competing for integrated facility management contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CompassGroupEspanaOficial
• Facebookfacebook.com/CompassGroupES
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/compass-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/compassgroupes
• Xx.com/compassgroupes

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Compass Group