Global caterers ride first-time outsourcing wave as food prices rise
ARMK•Healthcare and education seen as major opportunities
Industry executives see healthcare and education as among the biggest opportunities for future growth because outsourcing remains less established in those sectors than in corporate workplaces, sports venues and other mature markets.
A Sodexo spokesperson said healthcare and education are expected to be the company's fastest-growing segments, while Compass highlighted both sectors as major first-time-outsourcing opportunities in investor materials published in May.
"Just the education segment in America is a massive opportunity for us," Delaporte told investors this month.
The shift provides a medium-term growth opportunity for the industry's largest players because it expands the market rather than forcing them to compete solely for one another's customers.
The world's four largest caterers -- Compass, Sodexo, Aramark and Elior ELIOR.PA -- still account for less than 30% of the global contract catering market, according to analyst estimates.
