Pluxee. “Plu” for more, “x” for the link between customers and retailers and “ee” for employee engagement. It is with this name that Sodexo has decided to enter a new era. After acquiring Chèque-repas in 1988 and transforming it into Sodexo Benefits & Rewards Services the following year, the group, which has €21.1bn in sales in 53 countries and 422,000 employees who indirectly serve 100m people every day, is due to float the new company on the stock exchange next year.

This separation will give Pluxee greater agility--in other words, the ability to adapt more easily--so that it can continue to capture a share of the employee loyalty market. This is all the more so as the group has announced the recruitment of 1,000 people, rising to 5,000 and investing up to 10% of its turnover in technology by 2025.

Pluxee, in which the historical founders (the Bellon family, France’s fifth wealthiest) are set to retain a 42% stake, intends to “help every employee get more out of what matters to them,” says the press release. In other words, it will continue to offer digital meal vouchers, but will extend the range to include wellbeing, gifts, motivation and measures to support purchasing power and mobility, all via a single platform.

“We’re talking about a potential market in terms of corporate spending of around €1,000bn. So it’s a massive market that’s still very little penetrated, because many small and medium-sized businesses still don’t offer their employees any social benefits,” said CEO Aurélien Sonet in an interview with Reuters. Mobility solutions to support the use of bikes, scooters or car-sharing are also attracting customers, as more and more companies seek to reduce their carbon footprint linked to commuting, he added.

The solution will be deployed from August in Brazil and probably in October in Luxembourg.

The group in Luxembourg employs 1,872 people and generated sales of €112.68m on its four business lines last year, an increase of 26%. Although the group refused to give further details of its turnover, it currently has 75,000 beneficiaries for meal vouchers and gift cards. The other services could be introduced gradually in Luxembourg.

This story was first published in French on . It has been translated and edited for Delano.