Our History (2025)

Our History (1)

How did a small start-up based in Marseille become a world leader in services? Here’s how we grew our ambition and our activities, while always focusing on our original values and mission.

  • Our History (2)

    We landed our first major contract with the CEA, the French Research Institute for Atomic Energy in 1966.

    50 years later, we are happy to say that we are still delivering food services for the CEA in Pierrelatte.

  • Our History (3)

    After getting started in companies and government services, we successfully entered the education market and we served our first school meals.

1967

Rapid international growth

In 1967, we landed our first contract in the multiservice market with the CNES in French Guiana, entering the remote site management business.

In the 1970s, we began to conquer other international markets: we launched service vouchers in Belgium, we won our first contracts in Italy and Spain between 1971 and 1978, while developing in Africa and the Middle East.

  • Our History (4)

    Our first Olympics

    In 1988, we provided food services for the athletes, staff and journalists and the Calgary Olympics.

    It was the beginning of a historic relationship. After having also worked for the Barcelona, London and Tokyo Olympics, we are happy to report that we will be providing food to all athletes for the Paris 2024 Olympics and Paralympics.

  • Our History (5)

    In 1983, we were first listed on the Paris Stock Exchange.Today, we are a member of the Euronext CAC 40 ESG Index.

Our History (6)

Eager to seize new opportunities, we were also inspired to launch into new operations. We acquired the Bateaux Parisiens to get started in the Hospitality segment which is still thriving today as Sodexo Live!

  • Our History (7)

    We became the world’s biggest food company after acquiring Gardner Merchant and Partena.

  • Our History (8)

    We became the leader in corporate services in the United States after merging with Marriott International.

Our History (9)

Committed to eradicate hunger and thanks to the dedication of our people, we launched Stop Hunger, our unique philanthropic cause.

Today, 52 billion people have benefited from this program in the past 6 years and we have teamed up with the European Food Banks Federation (FEBA) in 2022.

  • Our History (10)

    We become the World’s #1 in remote sites.

  • Our History (11)

    We join the New York Stock Exchange, a major step in our international development.

  • Our History (12)

    We supported the Inco Group in New Caledonia with services for the construction site for Goro Nickel’s mine, hiring 95% of employees locally.

  • Our History (13)

    We became the #1 provider of services to the German healthcare market, after having doubled our size in the country and concluded the acquisition of VR, the Brazilian leader of vouchers and card services, securing first place in this sector in this country.

    In order to give the group a more international scope, and to support its transformation to a global services group, Sodexho becomes Sodexo.

  • Our History (14)

    We acquired Lenôtre, one of the greatest names in French cuisine, strengthening our luxury gastronomic expertise in Paris and worldwide.

  • Our History (15)

    We acquired Roth Bros in the United States, MacLellan in India and Atkins in the UK, while also deploying a global technical expertise platform.

2016

Assured succession and strengthened presence in global markets

In 2016 Sophie Bellon became Chairwoman of the Board of Directors, succeeding her father, Pierre Bellon. During 2018 and 2019, with newly appointed Denis Machuelas Chief Executive Officer, we went on to acquire Centerplate in the US, invest in the startup Foodcheri in Franceand take minority stakes in Meican in Chinaand Zeta in India. These moves strengthened our global presence and diversified our services, as well as establishing Sodexo as a world leader in Sports and Leisure.

  • Our History (16)

    Our founder, Pierre Bellon, passed away at 92. His sense of purpose, however, still lives on thanks to the executive team. His daughter, Sophie Bellon, becomes Chairwoman andChief Executive Officer at Sodexo.

    We accelerated our response to the challenges of the post-Covid period, strengthening competitiveness and accelerating transformation with strategic acquisitions and investments such as Frontline Food Services, Fooditude and Nourish.

    Our activity returned to pre-covid levels and Sophie Bellon, our Chairwoman and CEO, unveiled a strategic plan designed to accelerate growth by 2025.

  • Our History (17)

    We demonstrated the success of the 2025 strategic plan with solid results achieved by focusing on food services, boosting the sustainability and innovation in the services we offer to our consumers,redesigned the consumer experience in FM services, simplified its organization, reinforced its attractiveness as an employer and strengthened its financial performance.

  • Our History (18)

    Sodexo and Pluxee (previously our Benefits and Rewards Services activity) became independent companies,a milestone moment in our history and a decisive step forward with the creation of 2 pure players in their respective fast-growing markets.

“Constant progress is our only means of differentiating ourselves from the competition… this alone will enable us to show our clients and customers that our services evolve to match their changing needs and that we are constantly improving our offering”.

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  • Our History (19)

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  • Our History (20)

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  • Our History (21)

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Our History (2025)

FAQs

How can we see our history? ›

Check or delete your Chrome browsing history
  1. On your Android phone or tablet, open the Chrome app .
  2. At the top right, tap More. History. If your address bar is at the bottom, swipe up on the address bar. ...
  3. To visit a site, tap the entry. To open the site in a new tab, touch and hold the entry. At the top right, tap More.

Where is your history on Google? ›

Go to your Google Account. On the left navigation panel, click Data & privacy. Under "History settings," click My Activity.

How far back does our history go? ›

The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the development of Sumerian cuneiform script. Ancient history covers all continents inhabited by humans in the period 3000 BC – AD 500, ending with the expansion of Islam in late antiquity.

How old is our history? ›

The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, beginning with the Sumerian cuneiform script, with the oldest coherent texts from about 2600 BC.

How do we view history? ›

History.
  1. On your computer, open Chrome.
  2. In the address bar, enter @history .
  3. Press tab or space. You can also click Search History. in the suggestions.
  4. Enter keywords for the page you previously visited.
  5. Select the page from the list.

How do we know that history actually happened? ›

Historians appeal to many different kinds of evidence to establish the existence of people, places, and events in the past. Obviously, the best kind of evidence is primary, presented in the form of physical evidence or products. Physical evidence might include photographs or primary documents.

Is it better to delete or clear history? ›

If you want to keep your device more private and keep your browser running smoothly, quickly clearing your device's browser history can help. There's no fixed or recommended time for deleting your browsing history, cache, and cookies. It's all relative to your system's storage space and personal preferences.

Can I see my activity history? ›

To strengthen your privacy on shared devices, you can choose to require an extra verification step to view your full history on My Activity. On your Android phone or tablet, go to myactivity.google.com.

How can I see my full history on my phone? ›

View Browser History - Android
  1. From a Home screen, tap. Apps. .
  2. Tap either 'Chrome' or 'Internet Browser'. Depending on device, default browser may vary.
  3. Menu. .
  4. History. .

Could humans survive 500 million years ago? ›

If we used a time machine to travel back to a prehistoric period, the earliest we could survive would be the Cambrian (around 541 million years ago). Any earlier than that and there wouldn't have been enough oxygen in the air to breathe.

Who was the first recorded human? ›

Kushim (Sumerian: 𒆪𒋆 KU. ŠIM) is supposedly the earliest known recorded name of a person in writing. The name "Kushim" is found on several Uruk period (c. 3400–3000 BC) clay tablets used to record transactions of barley.

What is the oldest year known to man? ›

As such, adjusting for modern systems of time, the first recorded year corresponded to 4241 BCE, a date held by both Egyptians and those living in Mesopotamia. However, describing the actual names and the chronological makeup these ancient cultures used to establish this date are beyond the scope of this asset.

How old are humans on Earth? ›

The oldest hominins are thought to have appeared as early as 7 million B.C.E. The earliest species of the Homo genus appeared around 2 million to 1.5 million B.C.E. Current evidence supports modern Homo sapiens appearing around 190,000 B.C.E.

What happened in human history 10,000 years ago? ›

During the Mesolithic period (about 10,000 B.C. to 8,000 B.C.), humans used small stone tools, now also polished and sometimes crafted with points and attached to antlers, bone or wood to serve as spears and arrows. They often lived nomadically in camps near rivers and other bodies of water.

What was the first day ever on Earth? ›

There is simply no way to know that. We know that earth formed around 4 billion years ago - and it coalesced from many many smaller chunks. - The coalescing process probably took several million years. It is impossible to state exactly what day was the first.

How can we find out about our history? ›

People know what happened in the past by looking at things from the past including sources (like books, newspapers, scripts and letters), buildings and different types of artifacts (like pottery, tools, coins and human or animal remains.)

Is there a way to see your entire Search history? ›

If you would like to see a history of the pages you've visited, choose "Your data in Search" in the Settings Menu. This will bring you to your "Search History" Page in Google. You (and Google) are the only ones who can view this page. It's useful for finding sites you've visited but can't remember.

How do we really know about history? ›

Historians who write history emphasize the value of primary sources, that is those sources actually dating from a particular time period, while understanding the limitations of such sources. Non- historians read books or watch documentaries, while historians do that plus go to archives in search of original records.

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