Eurest
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eurest is a catering company owned by the Compass Group. They operate within 80 countries, providing staff restaurants and supplying vending machines for businesses.
They have operated within the United Kingdom for over fifty years, and as of 2005 they employ 15,500 people in 1,850 sites, operated by five holding companies: Eurest Corporate Accounts, Eurest Business & Industry ('B&I) Scotland and Ireland, Quadrant, Baxter and Platts and Restaurant Associates. In the UK they have been recognised as "Investors in People", a national standard independently awarded on behalf of the Department for Education and Employment.
In the United States the company is known as Eurest Dining Services.
In October 2005 the United Nations suspended parent company Compass Group after allegations of improper conduct with regards the awarding of contracts surfaced. In November 2005 the company dismissed three employees, including the head of the UK division Peter R. Harris, and launched a review of practices: in February 2006 this review noted "issues in relation to the behaviour of a few individuals". The allegations are also to be reviewed by the UN, the UK's Serious Fraud Office and the Southern District Court of New York, whilst the United States' House of Representatives has expressed concerns with the reports outcome, the spokesman of the House stating "Our fear is that there is more to this story than was initially acknowledged".
[edit] References
- United States Compass Group website
- United Kingdom Compass Group website
- Contract Catering - Eurest National Accounts (Compass Group) - Business Case Studies - Investors in People
- BBC News: Compass finds UN 'irregularity'
- Daily Telegraph: Compass investigation finds 'serious irregularities'
- Evening Standard: Compass faces fresh grilling on UN scandal
