The chief executive of catering giant Compass has announced a series of new measures to refocus the company. Richard Cousins announced last week that Compass was putting its vending business Selecta up for sale, and also withdrawing from 30 of the 90 countries in which the group currently operates. The group is also cutting its pension deficit by half with a £280m cash injection. Mr Cousins, who took over as chief executive in June, said: ‘The sale of Selecta and the gradual withdrawal from a number of small countries will result in a much greater focus for the remaining business.' Subsidiary Scolarest provides catering in British and Irish schools. Compass settled a £600m lawsuit in October over alleged corruption at the United Nations for less than £40m. The lawsuit was issued in the US in March by competitors ES-KO International and Supreme Foodservice AG. ‘We need to build on our strengths and correct our weaknesses,' said Mr Cousins. ‘We have to create a management and performance culture which has, at its core, the delivery of profitable growth to maximise shareholder value.'
