Newrest acquires Sodexho operations in Polynesia

Newrest announced February 7th that it will expand its presence and capacity in the South Pacific with the acquisition of Sodexho Polynesia.

Located in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti, Sodexho has several customers, among them the Council of Papara, the islands Mamao Hospital and University. Sodexo’s operation on the island has 96 employees and generates nearly €7 million (US$10.1 million) in sales.

Newrest has developed a presence in the region over decades with food freight and logistics, airline catering, airport bars and restaurants and contract catering. According to the company sales in region are approximately €37 million (US$53.6 million) “positioning Newrest Polynésie as one of the first private employers in Polynesia.”

Terms of the sale were not announced. But Dominique Pilatte, a spokesperson for Newrest says that the additional facilities and capacity will give the company the ability to produce up to 3 million meals per year.

“We have managed to develop synergies between out activities, like in a number of countries, creating the basis for new developments and profit streams,” said Pilatte.

Newrest has an airline catering operation on the island. Recently, the company retained the services of Chef Michel Sarran from the company’s headquarters city of Toulouse to develop the menus for Air Tahiti Nui.