Compass Group lands £350m Army deal

Compass Group has landed a £350m deal to provide catering and support services to army personnel and their families at the Royal School of Military Engineering.

Compass, under its ESS Defence brand, will provide catering, retail, leisure and soft services such as laundry and waste removal, to 1,900 soldiers and their families at two school locations in Minley, Surrey, and Chatham, Kent.

The 30-year deal commences on 5 January 2009. Compass currently provides services at Minley while rival Aramark currently runs Chatham.

In addition, ESS will invest £2.1m in the refurbishment of the clubs, dining facilities, shops, leisure outlets and bars at the two sites.

Ian El-Mokadem, managing director of Compass UK & Ireland, said: "We're delighted to have won this contract. It's a real recognition of the depth of experience our team in ESS Defence holds."

The contract was awarded by support services company Babcock International. The company oversees the school for the Ministry of Defence through a joint venture, Holdfast, with consortium partner and construction company Carillion.

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By Chris Druce

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