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1.5 Group products and services<br />

1.5.1 Introduction<br />

The business of New Services is the provision of prepaid services, mainly to companies. New<br />

Services is the global leader 19 in the market for employee and public benefits products and services.<br />

The Group offers employers a wide range of products to motivate and retain employees and improve<br />

their performance while contributing to their well‐being. The prepaid social‐aid services programs<br />

developed by New Services help local authorities and public institutions to allocate public assistance<br />

and benefits fairly. The Group is also a major player in the market for performance products.<br />

The Group aims to put its unique expertise, both in employee and public benefits and in<br />

performance products, to work in markets where strong growth is driven by favorable demographic<br />

and socio‐economic factors.<br />

Since the launch of the Ticket Restaurant ® meal voucher in France in 1962, New Services has<br />

designed, managed and developed programs and prepaid services for companies and public<br />

authorities, facilitating everyday life and fostering the well‐being of millions of people worldwide.<br />

Present in 40 countries with 33 million users, New Services had 490,000 corporate and public<br />

authority customers and 1.2 million affiliated merchants as of December 31, 2009.<br />

Although the Group is organized geographically from a management standpoint (see note 3<br />

to the pro forma financial statements included in this prospectus), each segment of the Group’s<br />

business is described separately for ease of understanding.<br />

1.5.2 Employee and public benefits products and services<br />

In 2009, employee and public benefits contributed €11 billion, or approximately 88% of<br />

Group issue volume, involving 390,000 businesses and public sector customers, 23 million users and<br />

900,000 affiliates in 33 countries. Issue volumes in this segment have grown an average of 7% since<br />

2005, including 6% growth in meal voucher issuances and 17% in non‐food vouchers.<br />

1.5.2.1 Employee benefits<br />

The employee benefit business aims to help companies motivate and retain employees and<br />

enhance their performance while improving their working environment, contributing to their well‐<br />

being and strengthening their purchasing power.<br />

The Group offers a wide range of products to companies worldwide, both in developed and<br />

emerging countries. These products and services take advantage of tax and/or social security benefits<br />

that help governments implement social policies in such fields as nutrition, work‐life balance, social<br />

cohesion and economic activity.<br />

(a) Economic and social value of the employee benefit programs<br />

The programs developed and marketed by New Services as part of its employee benefit<br />

business are part of major policy initiatives for government entities. The Group’s products help<br />

governments to (i) increase workers’ purchasing power, (ii) create employment and support certain<br />

sectors of the economy (particularly the restaurant and food industries, household employment and<br />

domestic care services), (iii) guarantee that the aid provided reaches the intended recipients, (iv)<br />

implement public health programs (such as the fight against obesity), (v) transform the informal<br />

economy into a real economy and (vi) satisfy employees demands irrespective of the size of the<br />

company they work for, while avoiding any form of discrimination.<br />

19<br />

Source: Company estimates<br />

25

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