Sodexo facts for kids
 |
|
|
Formerly
|
Société d'Exploitation Hotelière |
|---|---|
| Société Anonyme | |
| Traded as | Euronext: SW CAC Next 20 component |
| Industry | Food Service |
| Founded | 1966 in Marseille, France |
| Founder | Pierre Bellon |
| Headquarters |
,
France
|
|
Area served
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Worldwide |
|
Key people
|
|
| Services | Foodservice, facility management, service vouchers |
| Revenue |  €17.43 billion (2021) |
|
Operating income
|
 €339 million (2021) |
| €137 million (2021) |
|
| Total assets | €18.99 billion (2021) |
| Total equity | €3.17 billion (2021) |
|
Number of employees
|
412,000 (2021) |
| Subsidiaries | Sodexo Justice Services Sodexo USA |
Sodexo is a big French company that helps with food and managing buildings. It used to be called Sodexho Alliance. Its main office is near Paris, France.
Sodexo is a huge company. In 2021, it had over 412,000 employees. It works in 55 countries around the world. Every day, it serves about 100 million customers. It is one of the biggest companies of its kind in Europe.
Sodexo helps many different places. This includes private companies, government offices, and schools from preschool to university. They also work in hospitals, care homes for older people, military bases, and even prisons. For example, a part of Sodexo helps manage services in many prisons in different countries.
How Sodexo Started and Grew
Sodexo began in 1966 in Marseille, France. A person named Pierre Bellon started it. At first, it was called Société d'Exploitation Hotelière. This means "Hotel Services Corporation" in English. The company first served food in company restaurants, schools, and hospitals. Today, Sodexo is a very large company. It is on the Fortune Global 500 list of the biggest companies in the world.
Throughout the 1970s, Sodexo grew a lot. It expanded across France and then to other countries. First, it went to Belgium, then to Africa, and later to the Middle East. In 1983, the company offered its shares to the public on the Paris Bourse (like a stock market). After that, it kept growing into North America, South America, Japan, South Africa, and Russia.
In 1997, the company's main holding group changed its name to Sodexho. It also joined with Universal Ogden Services, a big service provider in the U.S. In 1998, Sodexho merged with Marriott Management Services. This made Sodexho one of the largest food service providers in the United States.
A famous basketball player and businessman, Magic Johnson, partnered with Sodexo in 2006. They created a new company called SodexhoMAGIC, LLC. This company is partly owned by Magic Johnson.
Why the Name Changed to Sodexo
In 2008, the company officially changed its name from Sodexho Alliance to just Sodexo. They dropped the letter 'h'. The reason was simple: the name "Sodexho" was hard to say in many languages around the world. The company also wanted to show that they do more than just hotel services. They now focus on many different areas.
The company's logo also changed. It used to have five stars, but now it has only one star. The curved line in the letter 'x' in the new logo looks like a smile. This is meant to show that Sodexo wants to make its clients happy.
What Sodexo Does Today
Sodexo offers many services. These include:
- Food Services: They run restaurants for staff, provide catering for events, and deliver meals. You might see their cafeterias in your school or a hospital.
- Building Management: They also manage buildings. This includes "soft services" like cleaning, reception, laundry, and managing waste. They also do "hard services" like taking care of heating and cooling systems, electrical systems, and plumbing. They help buildings run smoothly and efficiently.
Sodexo also provides payment services. These come in the form of special vouchers or cards. These can be used for meals or other services.
In 2009, Sodexo bought a company called Comfort Keepers. This company helps adults and seniors with non-medical care in their homes. Comfort Keepers has offices in many countries, including the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
Sodexo is also known for its focus on diversity. In 2010, it was ranked number one by DiversityInc. This group looks at how well companies manage diversity among their employees.
Sodexo has also made partnerships with other companies. For example, they work with United Coffee to get fair-trade coffee. They also partner with Numi for organic teas. In 2011, Sodexo signed a big contract with the US government. They agreed to provide food services to many United States Marine Corps dining halls.
Over the years, the leaders of Sodexo have changed. Michel Landel became CEO in 2005. Later, in 2018, Denis Machuel took over as CEO. When Pierre Bellon passed away in 2022, his daughter, Sophie Bellon, became the Chairwoman of the Board of Directors and CEO.
See also
In Spanish: Sodexo para niños
