Sodexo aims for higher profits, sales in coming fiscal year

* Fiscal 2013-14 revenue 18.016 bln euros, up 2.3 pct l-f-l

* Fiscal 2013-14 operating profit 966 mln euros

* Targets 2014-15 sales growth of 3 pct, op profit up 10 pct (Adds details, shares, CEO comments from call)

By Dominique Vidalon

PARIS, Nov 13 (Reuters) - French catering-to-vouchers group Sodexo on Thursday predicted that its revenue and operating profit would rise in the fiscal year 2014-2015, helped by cost savings and robust growth in Asia and Latin America.

The world's No.2 catering services company after Britain's Compass Group (Other OTC: CMPGF - news) , forecast underlying revenue growth of around 3 percent and a 10 percent rise in operating profit, excluding currency effects for the year ending August 31, 2015.

Chief Executive Michel Landel said on a conference call that he remained "confident" about the group's prospects in emerging markets despite slowing economic growth in Brazil and Russia.

Emerging markets, which accounted for 22 percent of sales, are expected to record single-digit sales growth this year with the vouchers business growing double-digit. New contracts are set to help a return to growth to the "remote site" business, which offers services to staff on offshore platforms or mines.

Sodexo manages canteens and facilities for office workers, the armed forces, schools, hospitals and prisons, and sells vouchers for meals and gifts. Its clients range from Britain's Royal Ascot Racecourse to the U.S. Marine Corps.

The group also posted a 2.3 percent rise in like-for-like revenue to 18.02 billion euros ($22.42 billion dollar) in the fiscal year ended August 31.

Operating profit before exceptional items rose slightly to 966 million euros from 964 million euros a year earlier.

Sodexo was expected to post of 18.08 billion euros and operating profit of 967 million, according to Reuters data.

Full year 2013/14 revenue from "on-site" services, which make up the bulk of Sodexo's business, rose 1.8 percent like-for-like, while the vouchers business grew 13 percent, driven by strong demand in Latin America, China and India.

Revenue from on-site services, which include catering or facilies management, rose 3.7 percent in North America driven by strong demand from corporate customers.

On-site revenue however eased 0.2 percent in Europe, where clients continued to reduce demand for catering services to cut costs, notably in France, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain.

In the rest of the world, on-site revenues rose only 0.2 percent because of lower demand for servies in the mining sector in Latin America, the Middle East, Australia and Africa.

Sodexo shares were down 0.5 perent to 78.08 euros at 08:29GMT, while the French blue chip index was up 0.6 percent. (1 US dollar = 0.8036 euro) (Reporting by Dominique Vidalon; Editing by Leila Abboud)