Fazer Amica: still leading in Finland

Helsinki / FI. (fg) In 2009, Fazer Amica was again clearly chosen as the best known company offering staff catering services in Finland. It received the best overall grade for its operations among companies in its sector and also placed at the top when evaluating factors affecting the corporate image of companies in the sector. These are some of the results of a survey by Taloustutkimus.

According to the survey, Fazer Amica is clearly the best known catering service company in Finland. It was recognised by 88 percent of respondents evaluating companies providing staff catering services. There was an increase of seven percentage points compared with the previous year.

Just as in the past four years, Fazer Amica also ranked first among companies in the sector based on factors affecting corporate image, both as a whole and in terms of the overall grade (average of 7,94). Among companies in the sector included in the study, the weighted average of the overall grade was 7,57. Fazer Amica´s grades had improved in nine out of ten evaluated factors of corporate image compared with the previous year.

According to Finnish corporate decision-makers, the quality of products, customer service, the professional skills of staff and reliability of service were clearly the most important factors affecting the image of staff restaurant companies. Of the companies in the survey, Fazer Amica got the best grades on the reliability of operations and the professional skills and expertise of staff. From last year, Fazer Amica also improved the grade on the quality of products which the respondents chose as the most important single factor.

Characteristically for the sector, respondents saw the company´s public visibility as well as the control of environmental issues as the development targets for staff restaurant companies. However, Fazer Amica stands out among the companies in the sector also for these factors.

A total of 2’326 decision-makers from companies throughout the country in various sectors responded by mail and on the Internet last September–October to the Corporate Image among Decision-makers of Working Life TEP 2009 survey carried out by Taloustutkimus Oy. Of the respondents, 436 evaluated companies in the staff catering sector. The survey was first carried out in 1984, and every year since from 1996.

About: Fazer Amica is a leading contract catering company in Finland and other Nordic countries. The division of the Finnish Fazer Group operates in a total of seven countries: Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Estonia, Latvia and Russia. Fazer Amica´s field of operations covers staff and student restaurants, department store restaurants and catering services for public institutions and schools. Roughly 300.000 meals are served by Fazer Amica every day. Turnover in 2008 was 572,1 million EUR.