April 16 (Reuters) - BELLON SA STATEMENT:
* BELLON SA, CONTROLLED BY MR. PIERRE BELLON AND HIS FOUR CHILDREN, WOULD LIKE TO REINFORCE ITS PARTICIPATION IN SODEXO AND HAS MANDATED A BANK TO PURCHASE 1,350,000 SODEXO SHARES BY 30 MAY 2018.
* BELLON SA, the animating holding company and controlling shareholder of SODEXO, currently holds 40.38 pct of the capital and 55.81 pct of the voting rights of SODEXO.
* FOLLOWING THIS SHARE PURCHASE, BELLON SA WILL HOLD 41.27 % OF THE CAPITAL AND 56.08% OF THE VOTING RIGHTS OF SODEXO
* THROUGH THIS TRANSACTION THE BELLON FAMILY REITERATES ITS CONFIDENCE IN THE FUTURE OF THE SODEXO GROUP.
* Sodexo shares have lost nearly 30 percent so far this year, sinking 15 percent on March 29 alone when it issued its profit warning.
Source text for Eikon: Further company coverage: (Reporting By Dominique Vidalon)
