Testing new services, refining them, and then rolling them out at scale: for Sodexo, the French leader in food services and facilities management, the United Kingdom has become far more than just a market. The Group uses it to experiment with its most innovative models, in an environment driven by a strong service culture, a highly skilled talent pool, and rapid adoption of technologies, particularly in artificial intelligence.

With £183 billion in exports in 2024 and a trade surplus of £72 billion, the United Kingdom is the world’s second-largest exporter of business services, behind the United States. On a daily basis, five million people (14% of the UK workforce) are employed in this sector, which comprises 568,000 companies.

A strategic market for Sodexo

For Sodexo, a global leader in food services and facilities management, the United Kingdom is not just another market. “The UK is a historic and strategic market for Sodexo. It is the Group’s third-largest market worldwide after the United States and France. It is one of the few countries where we operate across all our business segments,” explains Patrick Forbes, Business Support Director at Sodexo UK & Ireland.

Across the UK and Ireland, the company employs around 30,000 people across more than 2,000 sites and serves approximately one million meals every day. Half of its business is linked to public sector clients (healthcare, education, government services, etc.).

Moreover, the country’s maturity in ESG requirements and sustainability practices makes it a pilot market for the company founded in 1966 in Marseille by Pierre Bellon. “The UK is often a frontrunner in terms of ESG requirements and sustainable practices, making it a benchmark market for Sodexo,” adds Patrick Forbes.

This is illustrated by the WasteWatch programme, a food waste prevention solution deployed across more than 500 sites, which reduced waste by more than half in UK operations in 2025. At the same time, Sodexo is also strongly engaged at the local level. Its sole philanthropic cause, “Stop Hunger”, active in the UK as in many other countries, mobilises employees and volunteers to tackle food insecurity through volunteering, fundraising and partnerships with local charities combining direct social impact with employee engagement.

An exceptional talent pool

If the United Kingdom has become a testing ground for Sodexo, it is also because of a fundamental strength: a particularly rich and diverse talent pool. The country offers a talent ecosystem well suited to the demands of the services sector.

“The UK benefits from a diverse and internationally oriented workforce, with strong expertise across many service professions. In our sector, this translates into recognised know-how in hospitality, culinary leadership, facilities management and customer experience design. The UK also benefits from a genuine service culture, an essential asset for a company like Sodexo,” says Patrick Forbes.

Looking ahead, the government is investing in skills development and adapting talent to digital and AI challenges, including the recruitment of 1,000 new career advisers to promote relevant training pathways and the extension of the Innovate UK AI Skills Hub to professional services.

An innovation laboratory

The UK market also acts as an innovation hub for the entire Sodexo Group. “The UK is a major hub for technology, data and digital innovation, particularly in data analytics, AI-powered services and smart building management areas that are becoming increasingly important in how we design and deliver our services,” explains the Sodexo UK & Ireland executive.

The example of Fooditude, a London-based corporate catering company acquired by Sodexo, is emblematic. Its model is based on a central production kitchen preparing and delivering fresh meals daily, with a strong focus on ingredient quality and short supply chains. Designed for startups and scale-ups, it has enabled Sodexo to reach a new generation of clients.

Another example is The Good Eating Company, which combines high-end culinary standards with strong sustainability commitments. Born in London’s tech and finance circles, this Sodexo offering has since been rolled out in the United States, in Silicon Valley and on the East Coast.

“These initiatives illustrate how the UK acts as an incubator for new service models that can then be scaled across the Group,” summarises Patrick Forbes. The same innovation logic applies to employee services. Circles UK, Sodexo’s concierge and employee experience division, was developed in response to the expectations of major London headquarters. In highly competitive sectors such as finance and law, these tailored services, from managing daily errands to organising travel or booking home services, are a key lever for attracting and retaining top talent.

In the premium events space, Sodexo Live! is also innovating, for example with the launch of a cashier-less store at Brighton & Hove Albion FC and the rollout of the first permanent self-service “beer wall” in a European football stadium at Millwall FC.

But innovation at Sodexo is not limited to technology or food service models; it also extends to its approach to recruitment and social inclusion. The « Starting Fresh » programme illustrates this ambition: designed to support individuals leaving prison in their reintegration into the workforce, it provides access to employment within Sodexo’s operations.

AI as a daily performance driver

Alongside these innovations, artificial intelligence is being deeply integrated into the Group’s processes. “We see artificial intelligence as a concrete performance driver, not just a technological showcase. It is already fully embedded in our day-to-day operations,” says Patrick Forbes.

In this area, Sodexo follows a “glocal” approach: solutions are developed close to operations at the regional level, while fitting into a shared, standardised and collaborative framework that benefits the entire Group. When a region develops a solution, it does so not only for its own needs, but also with global scalability in mind.

For example, the “Menu AI” tool enables teams to generate menus up to 50 times faster than manual planning, while “PowerChef” uses predictive analytics to anticipate demand and adjust on-site staffing accordingly. In the UK and Ireland, “Product Swap” helps mitigate the impact of inflation through smarter sourcing decisions without compromising quality. Mobile ordering tools and carbon tracking solutions further complement this ecosystem.

Strong growth ambitions

Looking ahead, Sodexo aims to strengthen its presence and further develop its food services business in environments where its expertise is most recognised, such as workplaces, healthcare, education and government services, while evolving its models towards more flexible, multi-channel and hybrid solutions.

The Commercial Section of the British Embassy in Paris supports French companies in their expansion projects. Click here to find out more.