Article: LONDON FOOD GIANT BUYS AU BON PAIN PURCHASE BY COMPASS GROUP EXPECTED TO BOOST BAKERY-CAFE CHAIN'S PRESENCE

Au Bon Pain, a bakery cafe chain that sold some of its first croissants in Faneuil Hall Marketplace in the late 1970s, said yesterday that it has been purchased by Compass Group, a giant London- based food service company.

The sale raises the possibility that Au Bon Pain's menu could some day be available everywhere from the employee cafeteria at Microsoft to the football stadium for the Cleveland Browns, both places where Compass chow is on offer.

The deal will give the 275-cafe chain "a dynamic growth opportunity," said Au Bon Pain chief executive Frank Guidara.

Compass and its subsidiaries have $13.1 billion in annual sales

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