Universal Registration Document - Fiscal 2024

5.1.1.1 POST-EMPLOYMENT BENEFITS

Defined contribution plans

Under a defined contribution plan, periodic contributions are made to an external entity that is responsible for the administrative and financial management of the plan. Under such a plan, the employer is relieved of any future obligation (the external entity is responsible for paying benefits to employees as they become due and the employer is not required to make additional payments related to prior or current years if the entity does not have sufficient funds).

Contributions to defined contribution plans – which were recognized in operating expenses – amount to 483 million euros for Fiscal 2024, compared to 409 million euros for Fiscal 2023.

Contributions made by the Group are expensed in the period to which they relate.

Defined benefit plans

The characteristics of Sodexo’s principal defined benefit plans are described below:

• in France, the obligation primarily represents lump-sum benefits payable on retirement if the employee is still with Sodexo at retirement age. These obligations are covered by specific provisions in the consolidated statement of financial position;
• in the United Kingdom, Sodexo’s obligation relates to a complementary retirement plan funded by externally held assets, and calculated on the basis of:
  • for managers working in the private sector, a percentage of final base salary,
  • for managers working on public sector contracts, benefits comparable to those offered in the public sector,
  • this plan was closed to new employees effective July 1, 2003 and the level of contributions was increased in order to cover the shortfall in the fund.

The United Kingdom plan is regularly evaluated by the plan’s actuary in compliance with UK law. A formal actuarial valuation by the plan’s actuary is required to be conducted every three years, and any shortfall identified at that time must be addressed through mutual agreement between the plan’s Trustee and Sodexo UK. Following a consultation process with the members of the pension plan carried out with a view to freezing benefit accruals for certain members, an agreement was signed in October 2012 between the plan’s Trustee and Sodexo UK whereby from November 1, 2012 the plan would remain open only to employees who transferred to Sodexo UK from the public sector, as Sodexo UK has a legal obligation to pay them certain benefits. As part of the 12-year plan to address the funding shortfall, Sodexo UK also agreed to pay annual contributions of (i) 10 million pounds Sterling per year over the five years from January 1, 2013 and (ii) 7.5 million pounds Sterling per year over the following seven years. Lastly, in October 2012, Sodexo S.A. issued a Parent company guarantee to the Trustee in order to cover Sodexo UK’s obligations in connection with the plan. This guarantee initially fixed for an amount up to 100 million pounds Sterling for a duration of 12 years, has been changed to 40 million pounds Sterling after an employer contribution of 60 million pounds Sterling during Fiscal 2022. On completion of the most recent valuation of the fund in July 2016, Sodexo UK and the Trustee agreed to keep unchanged the amount of contributions and the terms and conditions of the Parent company guarantee as set in October 2012. In Continental Europe other than France, the main defined benefit plans are as follows:

• in the Netherlands, certain employees are entitled to complementary retirement or early retirement benefits. In Fiscal 2017, Sodexo negotiated an agreement to convert its pension plans in the Netherlands from defined benefit to defined contribution plans as from January 1, 2016. The entitlements accumulated up until that date under the plans in their previous defined benefit form have been frozen and the plans are still accounted for as defined benefit plans in view of the related indexation commitments given by Sodexo. These plans are fully funded;
• in Italy, there is a legal obligation to pay a lump-sum retirement benefit (“TFR”).