Company type | Public company |
---|---|
CAC Mid 60 | |
Industry | Food service |
Founded | 1991 |
Founders | Robert Zolade and Francis Markus |
Headquarters | France |
Website | http://www.eliorgroup.com/ |
Elior Group is a multinational company that specializes in catering and food service. Based in France, Elior provides meal services to a variety of sectors including education, healthcare, business, and the travel sector, among others. The company operates primarily in Europe and the United States, offering both onsite dining and meal delivery services. They are also involved in facility management services through subsidiary companies.
The group was founded in 1991 by Robert Zolade and Francis Markus, who along with 300 associated executives took a 35% stake in their employer, Générale de Restauration, a subsidiary of the Accor group specializing in contract catering. The group expanded its activities in the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, and France through acquisitions and partnerships. In 1998, the group adopted the name Elior and, in France, organized around two activities: contract catering with Avenance and concession catering with Eliance.
In 2000 Elior was listed on the primary market of Euronext in Paris. [1] From 2001 to 2006, the company's international growth was marked by alliances with Serunion and Areas in Spain, making it a regional leader in contract catering. This expansion continued with acquisitions in Italy, France, and the United Kingdom.
In 2006 Robert Zolade and two partner investors acquired 100% of Elior's capital and voting rights, delisting the company from the stock exchange. Despite this, Elior continued to develop in Europe and expanded its activities in the United States, particularly in the airport and highway markets. The acquisitions of FMC, GHS, and Sin & Stes [2] strengthened its multiservice offerings.
By 2011 Elior consolidated its activities under a single brand, phasing out Eliance and Avenance. It established three main divisions: Elior Concession (for city, airport, highway, train station, and leisure concessions), Elior Restauration (contract catering for businesses, education, and healthcare), and Elior Service (cleaning and facilities management). The following year, Elior acquired Ansamble [3] and bolstered its position in Italy.
In 2013 Elior entered the American contract catering market by acquiring TrustHouse Services, the fourth largest operator in the education and healthcare markets in the United States. [4] Elior returned to the stock market in June 2014, listing on Euronext Paris, and joined the SBF 120 index in March 2015. In July 2015, Elior became the sole shareholder of Areas [5] and further strengthened its U.S. presence in contract catering by acquiring Starr Catering Group and Abl Management, specializing in catering for correctional and university facilities. [6]
March 2016 saw the renaming of Elior's North American subsidiary to Elior North America, and the acquisition of Preferred Meals, [7] a company specializing in contract catering and home delivery for the education and senior markets. In July 2016, Elior Group announced the acquisition of Waterfall Catering Group [8] through its subsidiary Elior UK, reinforcing its positions in the education, healthcare, social services, and corporate markets.
In November 2016 Elior Group entered the Indian market with the acquisition of MegaBite Food Services and CRCL. [9] The expansion continued in 2017 with the acquisitions of CBM Managed Services, [10] Lancer Hospitality, [11] Abigail Kirsch, Corporate Chefs, [12] Design Cuisine, and Sidekim in the United States.
On July 26, 2017, the board of directors decided to change the company's governance structure, separating the roles of chairman and CEO. [13] In July 2018, Elior Group acquired Bateman Community Living, [14] an American company specializing in senior nutrition.
In April 2019 Elior Group announced it had received a firm offer of €1,542 million from PAI Partners for its catering activities under the Areas brand. [15] The transaction, totaling approximately €1.4 billion net, was finalized on July 1, 2019. [16]
Heavily impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, Elior announced the elimination of 1,888 positions in France within its corporate catering business in October 2020. [17] In November 2021, Elior reported continued losses, with a net loss of 100 million euros for the 2020–2021 period. [18] This was nevertheless an improvement over 2019–2020 results, which had ended with a loss of 483 million euros. [19]
In May 2022 Derichebourg Group became the largest shareholder of Elior Group, increasing its stake to 20% of the company's capital. By December, Derichebourg further increased its stake in Elior to 48.4%, up from 24.63% before this transaction. This increase in participation was made in exchange for the acquisition of Derichebourg's service business, which employed 37,000 people and generated nearly 950 million euros in revenue. [20] [21]
On March 6, 2023, the signing of the memorandum of understanding and the agreement regarding the sale of Derichebourg Multiservices to Elior was made official. [22] This transaction was approved at the general meeting on April 18, 2023, [23] creating a combined entity with over 5 billion euros in revenue and 134,000 employees.
Elior Group focuses on two major activities:
Catering activities are organized by country: Elior France, Elior North America, Elior UK, Elior Italia, and Serunion. Service activities are conducted by Derichebourg Multiservices and Elior Services.
At the end of February 2022 Philippe Guillemot's contract renewal was approved by 98% of the board of directors. However, the following day, he announced his immediate departure from Elior Group for personal reasons. [24] [25] While searching for his successor, the board appointed Bernard Gault as interim CEO, who was confirmed in the position a few months later. [26]
Daniel Derichebourg, who remains chairman of the board of directors of Derichebourg Group, is now the chairman and CEO of Elior Group following the general meeting on April 18, 2023. Boris Derichebourg has been appointed Chief Operating Officer. [27]
As of April 18, 2023, the capital of Elior is as follows: [28]
Derichebourg | 48.3% |
BDL Capital Management | 5.5% |
Flottant | 46.2% |
Following the acquisition of Derichebourg Group's multiservices branch, Derichebourg's stake in Elior's capital is now 48.3%. [29]
Elior Group is represented by FoodServiceEurope, which has been registered since 2008 in the Transparency Register of interest representatives with the European Commission. In 2018, FoodServiceEurope declared annual expenses for this activity amounting to between 200,000 and 300,000 euros. [30]
Elior Group declared to the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life that it engaged in lobbying activities in France for an amount not exceeding 10,000 euros in 2019. [31]
In 2008 181 employees, believing they were not receiving fair working conditions, particularly compared to other employees in the group, filed a lawsuit against Elior. The labor court ruled in their favor in 2012, as did the Court of Appeal in 2016. However, in 2018, the Court of Cassation overturned the two previous rulings due to general changes in labor legislation regarding collective bargaining and jurisprudence. As a result, the employees were required to repay the amounts they had previously received. Elior Group, which intends to enforce the decision, stated that it plans to "adapt on a case-by-case basis." [32]
In April 2019 the housekeepers at NH Collection in Marseille went on strike, as the hotel outsourced its cleaning services to Elior Service. They demanded an increase in the gross hourly wage from 10.28 euros to 10.51 euros, a 50% premium for Sunday hours instead of the current 20%, a 13th month salary, and the regularization of unpaid hours. [33]
Fauchon is a French gourmet food and delicatessen company that was founded in 1886 in Paris, France. Fauchon is considered a major reference in contemporary French gourmet foods, and it had 81 outlets in operation around the world as of 2019.
Capgemini Engineering is a global innovation and engineering consulting firm founded in 1982 in France by Alexis Kniazeff and Hubert Martigny.
Rexel S.A. is a French company specializing in the distribution of electrical, heating, lighting and plumbing equipment, but also in renewable energies and energy efficiency products and services.
Schneider Electric SE is a French multinational corporation that specializes in digital automation and energy management.
Air Liquide S.A. is a French multinational company which supplies industrial gases and services to various industries including medical, chemical and electronic manufacturers. Founded in 1902, after Linde it is the second largest supplier of industrial gases by revenues and has operations in over 70 countries. It has headquarters at the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Air Liquide owned the patent for Aqua-Lung until it expired.
Havas NV is a French multinational advertising and public relations company, with its registered office and head office in Puteaux, France.
Sopra Steria is a European-based consulting, digital services, and software development company with 50,000 consultants. The company is headquartered in Paris and has operations in several countries in Western Europe.
Ipsen is a French biopharmaceutical company headquartered in Paris, France, with a focus on drug development and commercialization in three therapeutic areas: oncology, rare diseases and neuroscience. Ipsen is one of the world's top 15 biopharmaceutical companies in terms of oncology sales.
Bureau Veritas is a French company specialized in testing, inspection and certification founded in 1828. It operates in a variety of sectors, including building and infrastructure, agri-food and commodities, marine and offshore, industry, certification, consumer products, and Education.
The CAC Mid 60 is a stock market index used by the Paris Bourse. It is a mid-cap index which represents the 60 largest French equities after the CAC 40 and the CAC Next 20. The index was inaugurated in 2005, with the number of index constituents being reduced from 100 to 60 in March 2011.
The CAC Small is a stock market index used by the Paris Bourse. It is a small-cap index which represents all main-market French equities not included in the CAC 40, the CAC Next 20 or the CAC Mid 60. Together, these 4 indices make up the CAC All-Tradable. Originally consisting of 90 listings, the index was revamped to include a wider range of stocks in March 2011.
Legrand S.A. is a French industrial group historically based in Limoges in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region.
Mersen, previously called Carbone Lorraine, is a French international company in electrical power and advanced materials. In 1937, the company was admitted to Bourse de Paris.
Derichebourg is a French global operator at the international level in environmental services to businesses and local and municipal authorities in 10 countries on 3 continents. Its activities can be divided into two separate branches: the Environment division and the Multiservices division.
Business & Decision is an international consulting and systems integration company with its global headquarters in Paris, France. The group specialises in Business Intelligence (BI), Customer Relationship Management (CRM), e-Business with two major directions : Data & Digital.
MEDICA is a French private health group operating care facilities for dependent persons.
Egis is an international company active in the consulting, construction engineering and mobility service sectors that design and operate intelligent infrastructure and buildings. Egis operates in 100 countries and has 19,500 employees.
Dominique Cerutti is a French businessman and has been chairman and CEO of the Altran group from June 2015 to December 2020.
Webedia is a company specializing in online media, a subsidiary of the Fimalac group based in Levallois-Perret, France.
Louis Hachette Group S.A., abbreviated as LHG, is a French conglomerate specialising in publishing, periodicals, media and distribution, with its origins in the Hachette bookshop founded in 1826. Louis Hachette Group is controlled by French businessman Vincent Bolloré.