Compass Group North America 2012

Compass North America is a division of London-based Compass Group PLC. It accounted for 43% of the parent company’s $25.6 billion revenues in fiscal 2011. Organic growth was up 7.4%, a significant increase over the 5.8% posted the previous year.

B&I remains the largest U.S. business with Education (college and K-12) and Healthcare (hospital and senior living accounts) each representing about a quarter of revenues. Compass services the various segments through operating companies with strong brand identification in their markets such as Eurest (B&I), Restaurant Associates (B&I, Arts/Recreation), Levy (Recreation), Chartwells (Education), Bon Appetit (Colleges, B&I, Arts), Flik (Education, B&I), Canteen (Vending) and Wolfgang Puck Catering.

Among significant initiatives launched over the course of the past year are Earth Table, a chef’s table concept designed to celebrate Earth Day and showcase the company’s culinary talent and ‘green’ practices; Eat Local, a now year-long cross-sector campaign designed to promote local producers; Cookie, an impulse sales building initiative focused on the ever-popular and attractive sweet treats; and Celebrity Chef Series, which showcases the company’s own celebrity chefs as well as noted culinarians with whom Compass has partnered, such as Jet Tila, Martin Yan, Cary Neff, Robin Rosenberg, Tony Mantuano and Edward Brown.

Compass has also forged strategic partnerships with corporate wellness group 411 Fit, USDA MyPlate and Plus One Health Management.

Another significant recent initiative is Zipthru Mobile, a mobile ordering device that lets customers use their smartphones to place orders and make payments.

On the business side, Compass added a new EVP of HR, Gary Snyder, and divested its Trinity Services corrections unit. Meanwhile, it purchased a 49% interest in AEG Facilities, a firm that operates sports and entertainment facilities in the U.S. and around the world, and its Canteen unit acquired the vending and dining business of CL Swanson Corp., a 2011 Top 50 company (#35) with 2010 revenues of $46 million.

Among major contract wins over the past year was Texas A&M University.