Corporate services brand Accor Services is now Edenred

The Accor Group has announced a demerger of its two core businesses; Accor Services will now be known as Edenred across the global markets that it is present in

The international Accor Group, which has presence in India and interests in hospitality and corporate services in the form of Accor Hotels and Accor Services respectively, has announced a demerger of its two core businesses, where Accor Services will now be known as Edenred.

With presences in 40 countries, the company operates with sub-brands Ticket Restaurant, Ticket Alimentation, Ticket CESU, Childcare Vouchers, Ticket Car, Ticket Clean Way, Ticket Compliments and Kadeos. Every day, 33 million people use Edenred's solutions. In 2009, the company generated total issue volume of 12.4 billion Euros, of which more than 50 per cent came from emerging markets.

Commenting on the new identity, Jacques Stern, deputy chief executive officer and in charge, services business, Accor, says, "Backed by 50 years of expertise in prepaid services, this new identity will enable us to assert our position as a committed and pioneering global leader. Edenred is focusing on innovation to drive growth and delivering solutions worldwide that create bonds among people."

Edenred expresses a powerful commitment to growth, as embodied in the company's Eden corporate project. 'Eden' comes from the initials of the project's French slogan, 'Entreprendre différemment ensemble' (Moving forward differently together).

'Eden' also means 'paradise' in eight languages, reflecting the sense of well being that Edenred's solutions instil in individuals and organisations. 'Red' refers to the red ball that identifies the products successfully developed by the company for nearly 50 years. It also means 'network' in Spanish, signifying the ties that bind private and public sector customers, employees, citizens, affiliates and government authorities.

The corporate brand's new logo is comprised of different components that give it a distinctive identity: the red ball, symbolising the different products and services; the name's initial letter to create a sense of community; a sphere, denoting the company's global presence; and a square, whose contemporary styling and shape recall today's social networks.

Because Edenred's products enable users to have lunch, buy gifts, pay for childcare services, manage business expenses or take a vacation, the new brand has chosen a baseline that puts the emphasis on day to day well being and simplicity, 'For an easier life'.

Commenting on the launch of the new corporate identity in India, Sandeep Banerjee, managing director and chief executive officer, Edenred India, says, "The company has established strong fundamentals in the country over the past 13 years. We intend to leverage this corporate restructuring to further underline our commitment in developing this market in India, essentially focusing on the corporate and public benefit sectors. We aim to rapidly grow our operations in India by focusing on our strategic levers of growth."

Aimed at leveraging the growth opportunities in India, Edenred will focus on strong organic growth, potential partnerships and strategic alliances, diversified delivery platforms, service quality and innovating through new products and services.

With more than 500 employees across 14 branch locations in 10 major cities, Edenred aims to leverage the new corporate identity and renewed growth focus to significantly grow its issue volume in India.

Launched in 1997 in India, the company now caters to 3,500 corporate clients and public institutions with more than 4,00,000 beneficiaries enjoying the benefits, products and services through a network of more than 18,000 affiliated outlets spread across 200 cities in the country.

The launch of the Edenred brand has been deployed in 40 countries and comprises three components including special events, an online and offline ad campaign and a marketing campaign.

In events, a large number of fun filled events will be held around the world for Edenred partners. In Paris, the new identity will be presented on the Esplanade de la Défense, Europe's leading business district.

Further, an online and offline advertising campaign, with visuals highlighting the red ball theme, is being rolled out worldwide. Targeting opinion leaders, the campaign uses teasers to reveal the new name and showcases the day to day contact between Edenred and its stakeholders.

A teaser website (www.enjoyredexperience.com) went online on June 4, featuring the giant red balls. On June 9, the site displayed pictures and videos of Edenred events held around the world. At the same time, Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, Orkut and other leading social networks and media hubs will gradually and simultaneously provide coverage of the new identity's unveiling.

For the record, in India, the France based Sodexo Group also operates in a similar space.

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