Sodexo changes operation in Brazil
Valor Econômico
With new commercial positioning, the French supplier of the collective meals Sodexo plans growing at least 25% in Brazil until August next year, when it ends its 2010/2011 fiscal year. And it is searching for an executive for the command of the operation in the country. The position is being temporarily held by the French Satya Menard, President for South America of the Division of Corporate Services of the company. The Brazilian subsidiary sold R$ 940 million (US$ 553 million) in the financial year ended on August 31 -an increase of 25% on the value achieved a year earlier. "Much of the increase results from the recovery of our clients, which resumed growing and hiring", says Menard. The company also acquired 78 new accounts and closed the fiscal year catering to 800 business units, with a total of 14 thousand employees.
Besides the good moment of the Brazilian economy, Sodexo relies on the repositioning of its brand to keep the pace of growth and attract new clientele. Since last month, the Division of Meals and Services of Support such as maintenance, reception and cleaning, started being presented to customers under a new name: "On-Site Service Solutions" in place of "Food and Facilities Management". Besides the name, the sales approach is also changed. According to Menard, the idea is to offer a suite of solutions that bring efficiency to the infrastructure of the companies at the same time as they provide the employees an atmosphere of well-being and motivation.
The rearchitecture of the brands is global. It was started by the headquarters in 2009, and this year it started being applied to the 80 branches across the world. In the Brazilian Division of checks and benefit cards of Sodexo (such as meal vouchers), the change began in June. The unit changed its name to "Motivation Solutions". One of the new services foreseen in that scope is an analysis that checks how much the customer spends with its employees and how much the benefits are valued by the employee. From the diagnosis, measures are recommended to increase motivation.
Sodexo is not the only company to reformulate the approach, with emphasis on well-being, quality of life and in customized solution packages for businesses. Also in June, its main global competitor in the area of benefits, Accor Services, owner of the brand Ticket, changed its name to Edenred. It's a reference to Eden, paradise, and to the red circle featured in its logo. Smaller rivals, such as Sapore Benefícios - unit of cards of the Brazilian supplier of collective meals Gran Sapore - was created in 2009 with the philosophy of being close to the customer need. On its website, its mission says "innovate on benefits, creating happy moments".