A month after experiencing problems with its UK operations and a subsequent 30 per cent fall in share prices, on Wednesday Sodexho announced that full-year sales had risen 5.6 per cent to euros12.6bn.

A spokesperson said: 'We expect consolidated revenues to grow by an organic five to six per cent in fiscal year 2002/03, roughly three times faster than in 2002/2. We are therefore gradually returning to the rate of organic revenue growth enjoyed in earlier years.' Despite this, their US food and management services has seen significantly lower rates of growth for organics - a reported 0.4 per cent.