Contract catering
Contract catering is the Group’s longest-standing business activity and is central to its positioning as the caterer of choice. In each of its markets, this business draws on the expertise of the Group’s teams across the globe.
Our activities
Our activities
Concession catering
The concession catering business is a major growth driver for the Group, reflecting the increasing numbers of consumers on the move each day. By combining all of our concession catering operations under the Areas brand, we have reinforced our capacity to meet the needs of both the traveling public and concession grantors.
Services
The Group is a benchmark player in multi-services, with in-depth expertise in three specific areas: (i) standard cleaning (ii) hospitality services and specialized cleaning for healthcare establishments, and (iii) facilities management.
Focus
Interview with Jean-Paul Camo
directeur de la direction nationale de l’action sociale - La Poste group, France
How important is corporate catering for La Poste?
Jean-Paul Camo : La Poste is France’s largest state employer after the government and it has an operating presence across the whole of the country. We provide meals to 30,000 people a day at 134 sites and the majority of our employees have physically demanding jobs. As a result, corporate catering is very important to us and forms an integral part of our overall policy on...
Jean-Paul Camo : La Poste is France’s largest state employer after the government and it has an operating presence across the whole of the country. We provide meals to 30,000 people a day at 134 sites and the majority of our employees have physically demanding jobs. As a result, corporate catering is very important to us and forms an integral part of our overall policy on...
How important is corporate catering for La Poste?
Jean-Paul Camo : La Poste is France’s largest state employer after the government and it has an operating presence across the whole of the country. We provide meals to 30,000 people a day at 134 sites and the majority of our employees have physically demanding jobs. As a result, corporate catering is very important to us and forms an integral part of our overall policy on health and safety and quality of working life.
Why did you choose Elior Group?
J-P C : In our invitation to tender we were looking for a high-quality, value-for-money catering offering that could be provided across a dense network of restaurants. Elior Group stood out from the competition because of the 80 different innovations it offered in terms of recipes, meal preparation, restaurant design, service and new payment technologies. Another decisive factor was its proposal to put in place a specific sales team dedicated to marketing our restaurants to external companies, which will enable us to increase the restaurants’ profitability and therefore guarantee their long-term future.
What do you expect from Elior in terms of local involvement?
J-P C : La Poste is historically, and by definition, a company that has a strong local presence thanks to its national network. Three thousand of our employees are local elected representatives and many of them are concerned about local and regional development issues. Our requirements in terms of the contribution of our catering operations to the local economy will be respected thanks to the use of local and organic produce in our restaurants, which will be obtained through Elior’s partnership with the Jardins de Cocagne network.
What are your priorities for the future?
J-P C : Our main priority is to recreate a positive image for corporate restaurants by providing a responsible catering offering with a strong educational element and based on simple, healthy and varied meals. To achieve this we, alongside Elior, will need to carefully monitor our 75 restaurants and ensure that they are all run with the right degree of drive and autonomy.
Jean-Paul Camo : La Poste is France’s largest state employer after the government and it has an operating presence across the whole of the country. We provide meals to 30,000 people a day at 134 sites and the majority of our employees have physically demanding jobs. As a result, corporate catering is very important to us and forms an integral part of our overall policy on health and safety and quality of working life.
Why did you choose Elior Group?
J-P C : In our invitation to tender we were looking for a high-quality, value-for-money catering offering that could be provided across a dense network of restaurants. Elior Group stood out from the competition because of the 80 different innovations it offered in terms of recipes, meal preparation, restaurant design, service and new payment technologies. Another decisive factor was its proposal to put in place a specific sales team dedicated to marketing our restaurants to external companies, which will enable us to increase the restaurants’ profitability and therefore guarantee their long-term future.
What do you expect from Elior in terms of local involvement?
J-P C : La Poste is historically, and by definition, a company that has a strong local presence thanks to its national network. Three thousand of our employees are local elected representatives and many of them are concerned about local and regional development issues. Our requirements in terms of the contribution of our catering operations to the local economy will be respected thanks to the use of local and organic produce in our restaurants, which will be obtained through Elior’s partnership with the Jardins de Cocagne network.
What are your priorities for the future?
J-P C : Our main priority is to recreate a positive image for corporate restaurants by providing a responsible catering offering with a strong educational element and based on simple, healthy and varied meals. To achieve this we, alongside Elior, will need to carefully monitor our 75 restaurants and ensure that they are all run with the right degree of drive and autonomy.
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ELIOR ITALY AND BRESCIA
A LASTING RELATIONSHIP
Elior is responsible for the catering services at 27 schools in Brescia, serving 2,200 children aged between 3 and 14. Brescia is a commune in the Lombardy region of Italy, located around 100 kilometers from Milan, and has some 200,000 inhabitants. It has worked with Elior since the late 1980s when it signed its first contract with Gemeaz, one of the Group’s Italian contract catering brands. The meals provided to the schools in Brescia – which are...
Elior is responsible for the catering services at 27 schools in Brescia, serving 2,200 children aged between 3 and 14. Brescia is a commune in the Lombardy region of Italy, located around 100 kilometers from Milan, and has some 200,000 inhabitants. It has worked with Elior since the late 1980s when it signed its first contract with Gemeaz, one of the Group’s Italian contract catering brands. The meals provided to the schools in Brescia – which are prepared in a central kitchen nearby – are typically Italian and contain both local and seasonal products.
In 2014-2015, to mark the occasion of Expo Milano 2015, Elior organized special monthly events at its school restaurants, creating theme-based menus with both traditional and international dishes to help broaden the culinary knowledge of its young guests and introduce them to new cultures. These initiatives are part of an overall drive launched two years ago when Elior teamed up with a number of different partners (private companies, public institutions and local non-profit organizations) to take part in a project called AliMENTarsi – Impariamo mangiando (“Learning through eating”). The project involves more than 70 activities spanning a range of different domains and is aimed at promoting the strengths and specific features of the local cuisine and helping people discover and learn about their region’s natural environment and its culinary and cultural history. It has proven to be a resounding success and was even presented by the municipality of Brescia, Elior and the other project partners as part of Expo Milano 2015.
In 2014-2015, to mark the occasion of Expo Milano 2015, Elior organized special monthly events at its school restaurants, creating theme-based menus with both traditional and international dishes to help broaden the culinary knowledge of its young guests and introduce them to new cultures. These initiatives are part of an overall drive launched two years ago when Elior teamed up with a number of different partners (private companies, public institutions and local non-profit organizations) to take part in a project called AliMENTarsi – Impariamo mangiando (“Learning through eating”). The project involves more than 70 activities spanning a range of different domains and is aimed at promoting the strengths and specific features of the local cuisine and helping people discover and learn about their region’s natural environment and its culinary and cultural history. It has proven to be a resounding success and was even presented by the municipality of Brescia, Elior and the other project partners as part of Expo Milano 2015.
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AT SENIORS’ SIDES IN THE UNITED STATES
Through its subsidiary A’viands, the Group provides catering services to two faith-based senior communities in Minnesota in the United States: the Glenn in Minnetonka, which has over 300 residents, and St. Therese Southwest in Hopkins, which has over 150 residents. Like all of the senior communities run by Great Lakes Management Company, these two Minnesota-based communities place importance on both the physical and spiritual...
Through its subsidiary A’viands, the Group provides catering services to two faith-based senior communities in Minnesota in the United States: the Glenn in Minnetonka, which has over 300 residents, and St. Therese Southwest in Hopkins, which has over 150 residents. Like all of the senior communities run by Great Lakes Management Company, these two Minnesota-based communities place importance on both the physical and spiritual well-being of their residents and offer an independent style of living so that residents can maintain an excellent quality of life. They provide a comprehensive range of care facilities for people over 62 years old, with several different types of living options available, such as Independent Living, Assisted Living and Memory Care. Residents also have access to numerous services and amenities including a fitness area and a theater as well as gardens and, of course, various catering offerings.
A’viands won the three-year contract for these two communities in December 2014 and a key aspect of its business proposal was to give residents more of a say in the food they are served. As part of this approach and since the beginning of the contract A’viands has created several different types of menus and encourages discussions with residents by organizing regular get-togethers at which it unveils and explains its new menus before they are actually offered as dining options. A’viands also has a dietitian who works on site with the communities’ residents, organizing events focused on well-being, and cooking demonstrations, as well as meeting and discussing with residents who have special dietary needs. Residents’ satisfaction is then measured using surveys carried out both on paper and using tablets.
A’viands won the three-year contract for these two communities in December 2014 and a key aspect of its business proposal was to give residents more of a say in the food they are served. As part of this approach and since the beginning of the contract A’viands has created several different types of menus and encourages discussions with residents by organizing regular get-togethers at which it unveils and explains its new menus before they are actually offered as dining options. A’viands also has a dietitian who works on site with the communities’ residents, organizing events focused on well-being, and cooking demonstrations, as well as meeting and discussing with residents who have special dietary needs. Residents’ satisfaction is then measured using surveys carried out both on paper and using tablets.
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A FULL-SCALE OPERATOR
WITH ON-TREND OFFERINGS
The Group adapts its business model to the needs of each concession grantor – operating under catering concession contracts, rental-management arrangements or comprehensive management agreements – and is not afraid to reinvent its relations with its various partners. Thanks to this approach we operate entire motorway service plazas (including gas stations) on behalf of DCC Energy under the Esso brand – a partnership that was renewed...
The Group adapts its business model to the needs of each concession grantor – operating under catering concession contracts, rental-management arrangements or comprehensive management agreements – and is not afraid to reinvent its relations with its various partners. Thanks to this approach we operate entire motorway service plazas (including gas stations) on behalf of DCC Energy under the Esso brand – a partnership that was renewed in early 2015 through the signature of a further five-year contract for the Group to act as the sole operator of 50 Esso service plazas in France.
The renewal of our contract with DCC Energy testifies to our ability to meet the requirements of both motorway concession grantors and today’s consumers. By taking over the management of the whole service plaza and investing in catering concepts, take-away offerings and non-food retail outlets, we enable our partner to concentrate purely on its core business. In parallel, we know how to evolve our offerings so that they give today’s motorway users what they are looking for, including easy access, services under one roof, time-saving solutions, well-known brands, a rapid purchase process, tasty fast-food and grab & go solutions, and opportunities for impulse buys in retail outlets.
We have also signed similar partnerships with Eni (for two Agip-brand service plazas), Shell, BP and Total. Meanwhile we have recently strengthened our business relationship with Tank & Rast in Germany – a country where we anticipate being able to put in place innovative formats going forward.
The renewal of our contract with DCC Energy testifies to our ability to meet the requirements of both motorway concession grantors and today’s consumers. By taking over the management of the whole service plaza and investing in catering concepts, take-away offerings and non-food retail outlets, we enable our partner to concentrate purely on its core business. In parallel, we know how to evolve our offerings so that they give today’s motorway users what they are looking for, including easy access, services under one roof, time-saving solutions, well-known brands, a rapid purchase process, tasty fast-food and grab & go solutions, and opportunities for impulse buys in retail outlets.
We have also signed similar partnerships with Eni (for two Agip-brand service plazas), Shell, BP and Total. Meanwhile we have recently strengthened our business relationship with Tank & Rast in Germany – a country where we anticipate being able to put in place innovative formats going forward.
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GOURMET AIRPORT DINING
International air travel hubs are increasingly becoming homes to gastronomic restaurants sporting the names of master chefs as these places are a powerful asset for an airport’s image and also represent real added-value for passengers. Areas is bang up to date in this respect, having forged partnerships with Guy Martin and Ricardo Sanz and undertaken several successful ventures including a number of projects that are currently underway, all of which...
International air travel hubs are increasingly becoming homes to gastronomic restaurants sporting the names of master chefs as these places are a powerful asset for an airport’s image and also represent real added-value for passengers. Areas is bang up to date in this respect, having forged partnerships with Guy Martin and Ricardo Sanz and undertaken several successful ventures including a number of projects that are currently underway, all of which demonstrate its expertise in the world of travel retail. Areas’ latest gourmet airport restaurant is located in Terminal 2E at Paris Charles de Gaulle. Called “I Love Paris”, it was designed in conjunction with chef Guy Martin and architect India Mahdavi. It is a veritable showcase for the French capital and offers travelers a unique and original way of experiencing gastronomy, fine foods and dining service à la française while giving them an opportunity to escape from the hustle and bustle before their journey starts. In Spain Areas has teamed up with Paco Roncero, who devised the menu for the Gastrohub restaurant at Madrid Barajas airport, which is just a few steps away from Kirei by Kabuki, a Japanese restaurant run by the chef Ricardo Sanz. This move towards high-end airport catering options that offer a combination of refined dining and local specialties is now taking place across the globe, including at Los Angeles airport (LAX) which hosts the gastro-pub Ford’s Filling station by Ben Ford, Chicago O’Hare airport, where chef Rick Bayless has created the Tortas Frontera concept, and Milan Linate airport, which has seen the opening of a new restaurant by Michelangelo Citino.
As part of its overall development drive, Areas intends to open even more of the prestigious restaurants that airport operators and passengers now expect to see in international travel hubs. In the same vein, Elior Group has recently set up a partnership with Alain Ducasse in order to jointly design new and original catering concepts. Watch this space!
As part of its overall development drive, Areas intends to open even more of the prestigious restaurants that airport operators and passengers now expect to see in international travel hubs. In the same vein, Elior Group has recently set up a partnership with Alain Ducasse in order to jointly design new and original catering concepts. Watch this space!
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FOOD RETAIL IN RAILWAY
STATIONS – A GROWING MARKET
Every day some 10 million people come to France’s railway stations – not just rail passengers, but also urban dwellers looking for a shop or service close to home. These consumers have varied needs and expectations – whether it be a zero-stress experience, a quick-stop service, or a leisurely shopping trip – and therefore require a broad range of solutions such as affordable products for families, grab & go meals for business...
Every day some 10 million people come to France’s railway stations – not just rail passengers, but also urban dwellers looking for a shop or service close to home. These consumers have varied needs and expectations – whether it be a zero-stress experience, a quick-stop service, or a leisurely shopping trip – and therefore require a broad range of solutions such as affordable products for families, grab & go meals for business travelers, everyday purchases for commuters and convenience items for local residents.
As the leading caterer at French railway stations with a diverse operating presence, the Group has been able to anticipate new consumer trends by drawing on its recognized expertise in food retail, and is continuing to strengthen its positions in this market. Our restaurants and retail outlets play a key role in making railway stations more modern and people-friendly places. After testing several different formats (Carrefour Express at Strasbourg station, Easy Drugstore at Besançon station, monop’daily at Paris Gare de Lyon, and more recently monop’lab at Paris Montparnasse), we launched a nationwide program for our partner SNCF Gares & Connexions, with the opening of a Carrefour Express scheduled for 2016 at Lyon Perrache and the introduction of new convenience stores in seven stations (both in the Paris region and outside Paris).
Our concession catering business has a portfolio of brands that are both franchised and directly owned (Easy Drugstore) and which have complementary positionings in terms of products and prices. The arrival in the French rail market of Ouigo low-cost trains – which do not have any on-board catering – is another positive factor for the development of spaces that combine food and beverage offerings with new-generation services. For example we now propose Paul and Carrefour Express combistores that offer, under one roof, the convenience and broad product choice of a retail outlet together with the quality and freshness of produce made on site.
As the leading caterer at French railway stations with a diverse operating presence, the Group has been able to anticipate new consumer trends by drawing on its recognized expertise in food retail, and is continuing to strengthen its positions in this market. Our restaurants and retail outlets play a key role in making railway stations more modern and people-friendly places. After testing several different formats (Carrefour Express at Strasbourg station, Easy Drugstore at Besançon station, monop’daily at Paris Gare de Lyon, and more recently monop’lab at Paris Montparnasse), we launched a nationwide program for our partner SNCF Gares & Connexions, with the opening of a Carrefour Express scheduled for 2016 at Lyon Perrache and the introduction of new convenience stores in seven stations (both in the Paris region and outside Paris).
Our concession catering business has a portfolio of brands that are both franchised and directly owned (Easy Drugstore) and which have complementary positionings in terms of products and prices. The arrival in the French rail market of Ouigo low-cost trains – which do not have any on-board catering – is another positive factor for the development of spaces that combine food and beverage offerings with new-generation services. For example we now propose Paul and Carrefour Express combistores that offer, under one roof, the convenience and broad product choice of a retail outlet together with the quality and freshness of produce made on site.
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CATERING FOR PARIS TRADE
FAIRS FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS
We have long been a catering provider at exhibition centers, having won the concession contracts for the Paris Nord Villepinte and Paris Le Bourget sites in 1985 and then the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in 1990. All three of these sites are now managed by Viparis.
One of the most prestigious events held in Paris is the International Paris Air Show organized every two years at Le Bourget by the French Aerospace Industry Association. This...
One of the most prestigious events held in Paris is the International Paris Air Show organized every two years at Le Bourget by the French Aerospace Industry Association. This...
We have long been a catering provider at exhibition centers, having won the concession contracts for the Paris Nord Villepinte and Paris Le Bourget sites in 1985 and then the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in 1990. All three of these sites are now managed by Viparis.
One of the most prestigious events held in Paris is the International Paris Air Show organized every two years at Le Bourget by the French Aerospace Industry Association. This show attracts 350,000 visitors from around the world in the space of one week, and during the 2015 event, €130 billion worth of contracts were signed. For Areas it represents six months’ work, with 700 employees mobilized to provide catering services in Halls 1, 2 and 3 (sit-down dining, take-away solutions and events catering, etc.) as well as outside the halls, with some forty kiosks proposing a varied offering to satisfy a wide range of tastes – traditional specialties from the Aveyron region, cuisine from south-west France, a Paul bakery, Angélina macaroons, a Basque-style brasserie, food trucks, burgers and Mexican food. We also cater for two major trade shows at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris – the Paris Motor Show, which attracts more than 1.2 million visitors and the Foire de Paris, whose visitor numbers reach around 700,000. In all, we provide catering services at more than 150 trade shows and fairs in France each year, drawing on our unique and specific operational expertise for each one. These events are also an opportunity for us to carry out the essential process of testing new offerings in a pop-up format before introducing them permanently at exhibition centers or rolling them out to other markets.
One of the most prestigious events held in Paris is the International Paris Air Show organized every two years at Le Bourget by the French Aerospace Industry Association. This show attracts 350,000 visitors from around the world in the space of one week, and during the 2015 event, €130 billion worth of contracts were signed. For Areas it represents six months’ work, with 700 employees mobilized to provide catering services in Halls 1, 2 and 3 (sit-down dining, take-away solutions and events catering, etc.) as well as outside the halls, with some forty kiosks proposing a varied offering to satisfy a wide range of tastes – traditional specialties from the Aveyron region, cuisine from south-west France, a Paul bakery, Angélina macaroons, a Basque-style brasserie, food trucks, burgers and Mexican food. We also cater for two major trade shows at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris – the Paris Motor Show, which attracts more than 1.2 million visitors and the Foire de Paris, whose visitor numbers reach around 700,000. In all, we provide catering services at more than 150 trade shows and fairs in France each year, drawing on our unique and specific operational expertise for each one. These events are also an opportunity for us to carry out the essential process of testing new offerings in a pop-up format before introducing them permanently at exhibition centers or rolling them out to other markets.
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THE ELIOR SERVICES TEAM
AT THE STADE DE FRANCE
Since 2011, Elior Services has been a preferred partner of the Stade de France, the Paris-based stadium which is one of Europe’s premium venues for both sporting and non-sporting events. Inaugurated at the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and owned by the Stade de France consortium (which is 67%-held by Vinci and 33%-held by Bouygues), it is a multi-activity stadium that has a capacity of over 80,000 and holds some 20 major events each year (rugby and football...
Since 2011, Elior Services has been a preferred partner of the Stade de France, the Paris-based stadium which is one of Europe’s premium venues for both sporting and non-sporting events. Inaugurated at the FIFA World Cup in 1998 and owned by the Stade de France consortium (which is 67%-held by Vinci and 33%-held by Bouygues), it is a multi-activity stadium that has a capacity of over 80,000 and holds some 20 major events each year (rugby and football matches, athletics meets, shows and concerts, including those given by Paul McCartney and AC/DC in 2015).
Drawing on its position as a major player in the French cleaning services and facilities management markets, each day Elior Services carries out a range of services that are vital for both the running and image of this prestigious stadium, including telephone and on-site reception services, grounds maintenance (excluding the pitch), floral decoration, logistics, fitting out VIP boxes and lounges, preparing gifts for VIPs and assisting with reconfiguring the venue after each event. This latter task can become a highly complex operational challenge when several matches and concerts take place within the space of just a few days of each other. Thanks to the relationship of trust it has built up with the Stade de France consortium, during 2014-2015 Elior Services’ partnership with the stadium was extended to include cleaning services, both on a daily basis and for events, under a three-year contract which commenced on January 1, 2015. Some 55 Elior Services employees now work at the stadium, covering its kilometers of corridors both during the week and at weekend events. In the summer of 2016 the stadium will be one of the venues hosting the teams and supporters for the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament and Elior Services will be working hard to ensure that people take away with them an excellent impression of this iconic stadium.
Drawing on its position as a major player in the French cleaning services and facilities management markets, each day Elior Services carries out a range of services that are vital for both the running and image of this prestigious stadium, including telephone and on-site reception services, grounds maintenance (excluding the pitch), floral decoration, logistics, fitting out VIP boxes and lounges, preparing gifts for VIPs and assisting with reconfiguring the venue after each event. This latter task can become a highly complex operational challenge when several matches and concerts take place within the space of just a few days of each other. Thanks to the relationship of trust it has built up with the Stade de France consortium, during 2014-2015 Elior Services’ partnership with the stadium was extended to include cleaning services, both on a daily basis and for events, under a three-year contract which commenced on January 1, 2015. Some 55 Elior Services employees now work at the stadium, covering its kilometers of corridors both during the week and at weekend events. In the summer of 2016 the stadium will be one of the venues hosting the teams and supporters for the UEFA Euro 2016 football tournament and Elior Services will be working hard to ensure that people take away with them an excellent impression of this iconic stadium.
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