Sodexo scores Rugby World Cup Win as first quarter sales jump

Not only did England have a disastrous Rugby World Cup but it has emerged that it was the French who grabbed the lion’s share of rewards for the catering and organisation of the event that was held in this country.

Sodexo, the giant French catering and outsourcing combine, said that half its 4.7% rise in first quarter sales came from the Rugby World Cup.

It won a €131 million (£98 million) contract to provide hospitality services to the event which helped boost its revenues in the UK by a staggering 47% to €639 million out of global sales of €5.5 billion.

Sodexo has already been awarded the hopsitality contract for the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan.

Sodexo chief executive Michel Landel said: “First-quarter revenue growth reflected the substantial contribution of the Rugby World Cup contract, an acceleration of growth in the Health Care and Seniors segment in the United States and good momentum in the Corporate Services segment throughout the world.”

Although England did not even make it to the knock-out stage of the tournament the French team made it through to the quarter finals.

Sodexo shares rose 1.5% to 90.2 euro cents.