Aramark Expands Global Reach into India

Company completes strategic acquisition of The Patman Group in Mumbai

ARAMARK Corporation, a world leader in professional services, today announced that it has acquired The Patman Group, a rapidly growing provider of facilities management, housekeeping, business dining, catering and a host of other services in over 20 cities across India. With this acquisition, ARAMARK expands its global footprint to India, one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

“We are very pleased to be entering India,” said Joseph Neubauer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of ARAMARK. “For ARAMARK, India’s rapidly growing economy represents vast untapped potential. This investment allows us to deliver our world-renowned service and commitment to customer service to the country’s businesses.”

Headquartered in Mumbai, The Patman Group serves clients in several key sectors, including manufacturing, energy, financial services and hospitality.

It is the pioneer in the guest house management business (high quality executive suites sponsored by major corporations and airlines in India for traveling executives). The Patman Group provides light facility services to such prestigious clients as Reliance Group (India’s biggest private sector company), Birla Group (a large multinational based in Mumbai), ICICI (India’s largest private sector bank), Deccan Airlines (India’s largest low-fare airline), and Yash Raj Studios (Bollywood’s preeminent movie studio).

“The Patman Group has an outstanding leadership team (led by company founder Ravi Manchandani) and 3,000 excellent front line employees,” said Ravi Saligram, President, ARAMARK International. “They share ARAMARK’s commitment to exceeding client expectations through superior, innovative services. As a result, they have built solid client relationships and have achieved strong growth.

“We believe we can expand rapidly in India by combining the Patman team’s entrepreneurial spirit with ARAMARK’s specialized expertise in key sectors, such as healthcare, education and sports,” Saligram added. “The sectors we serve in India offer over $2 billion in potential sales, so we see tremendous opportunities for organic growth. We also intend to continue evaluating selective acquisitions in India, with the goal of becoming a top service provider.”

The new company will be known as ARAMARK Patman.

ARAMARK’s entry into India is the latest step in the company’s strategy to expand its global presence. In recent years, the company has:
• Extended its presence in Japan’s healthcare and education sectors,
• Significantly expanded its business in China by acquiring a food service business,
• Achieved 100 percent ownership of its Irish business,
• Increased its ownership in its Chilean business, and
• Entered Peru.

ARAMARK now operates in 19 countries around the world, which together represent about 70 percent of the world’s gross domestic product (GDP). ARAMARK’s largest operations outside of the United States include Japan, the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany, Chile, Spain and Ireland. If ARAMARK included the sales of its Japanese joint venture of $1.2 billion, ARAMARK’s total sales for its international business would be $3.5 billion, or 25% of total sales.