French food caterer Sodexo reported a 4.6% rise in its first-quarter organic revenue on Tuesday, missing market expectations, as robust growth in India, Brazil and Australia was offset by decreased activity in Continental Europe.

Consolidated revenue was 6.4 billion euros ($6.7 billion) in the three months through November, compared with the 6.5 billion euros expected by analysts in a company-provided consensus and 6.3 billion euros a year earlier.

During the past years, the catering sector has benefited from tailwinds such as inflation which led to record outsourcing and volumes, boosting growth.

The France-based company's growth came on the back of a 3% increase in pricing in the first quarter, it said. Price hikes however continued to slow down after reaching 4% in the fiscal year 2024 as Sodexo continues to pass through inflation.

The group also benefited from 5.9% organic growth in its key North America market, which accounted for 48.4% of its total revenue in the quarter.

On Jan. 1, Sodexo completed the acquisition of CRH Catering to strengthen its position in the fast-growing U.S. convenience segment.

Sodexo confirmed its full-year guidance. ($1 = 0.9614 euros) (Reporting by Mathias de Rozario and Johan Bodinier in Gdansk; Editing by Jacqueline Wong and Milla Nissi)