Sodexo named a Business Superbrand 2009

Sodexo beat thousands of other business brands to a place in the Top 500, following an independent assessment conducted by The Centre for Brand Analysis (TCBA) which analysed the views of a council of expert volunteers and over 1,500 leading professionals.

The announcement comes just one year after the company, part of the worldwide Sodexo Group, unveiled a new identity to reinforce its single global brand strategy and support its position as a leading food and facilities management services company.

Sodexo will appear in the prestigious 'Business Superbrands' book, launched in the UK this month. Sodexo also features in the French and American editions.

Yann Coléou, chief executive, Sodexo UK & Ireland, said: “Today, brand is value. Developing a strong and visible worldwide brand is becoming increasingly necessary and to be recognised as a Business Superbrand, not just here, but in France and the USA, is a fantastic achievement for Sodexo. The strongest worldwide brands are those that succeed in becoming known, then admired, then chosen.”

In making the selection, TCBA researchers compiled a list of just over 1,100 of the UK's leading business-to-business brands; drawing on a wide range of sources from sector reports to consumer blogs.

Council members were then invited to individually award each brand a rating from 1-10, according to the quality of its products and services; whether it consistently delivered against its promises; and if it had managed to suitably differentiate itself from its competitors with a unique personality and set of values.

Members of the council were prevented from scoring brands with which they had a direct association or were in competition. The lowest-scoring brands were then eliminated and the remaining brands voted on by more than 1,500 individual business professionals via a YouGov panel.

Stephen Cheliotis, chairman of the expert council of judges and chief executive officer for TCBA, said: “A Business Superbrand like Sodexo is one which has established the finest reputation in its field. It must offer customers advantages over its competitors which they want and recognise; and also represent quality, reliability and distinction.”