LSG Sky Chefs had an expanding international portfolio and more varied customer demands, but a definition, airline caterer, that limited where it could grow. Vivaldi Group defined a brand strategy that repositioned LSG as a food services company, aligned the portfolio and identified new business opportunities beyond airline catering. Following the work, LSG moved into new ventures and became a global food service leader, with more than 30% global market share and a ranking as Germany's third-largest gastronomy company.
With a growing international footprint and increasingly diverse customer demands, LSG needed a cohesive strategy to unify its expanding portfolio and to find growth beyond its core airline catering business.
Vivaldi helped LSG define a strong brand strategy, align the portfolio and identify new business opportunities across the wider food services market. The work positioned LSG as a service company rather than a narrow airline caterer, opening routes into adjacent ventures.
Following the strategy, LSG repositioned as a true service company, moved into new business ventures and became a global leader in food service, with over 30% market share and a ranking as Germany's third-largest gastronomy company.
| Client | LSG Sky Chefs, part of the LSG Group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food services, airline catering |
| Region | Global, headquartered in Germany |
| Vivaldi scope | Brand strategy, portfolio alignment, growth opportunities in food services |
| Outcome | More than 30% global market share; Germany’s third-largest gastronomy company; new ventures beyond airline catering |
LSG Sky Chefs grew up serving airlines, and by the time of the engagement it had a large international footprint and a widening range of customers with different needs. Its portfolio had expanded, but the way the company defined itself had not.
As long as LSG saw itself, and was seen, as an airline caterer, adjacent food service businesses looked out of scope to employees and customers alike. The company needed a cohesive strategy that would unify the portfolio and open new routes to growth.
Vivaldi treated the brand definition as the strategic lever. Repositioning LSG around food services, rather than airline catering, widened the territory the company could credibly compete in and gave a clear test for which adjacent businesses fitted and which did not.
With that definition in place, Vivaldi aligned the portfolio and identified new business opportunities across the broader food services space, so that portfolio decisions, capability investment and customer targeting reinforced each other. Vivaldi’s guide to brand portfolio strategy as a growth engine describes the approach.
For a framework to plan growth of this kind, see Vivaldi’s business growth strategy framework.
LSG Sky Chefs engaged Vivaldi to unify an expanding international portfolio and identify growth opportunities beyond its core airline catering business. Vivaldi defined a brand strategy that repositioned LSG as a global food services company rather than a narrow airline caterer and supported its moves into new ventures. LSG went on to reach more than 30% global market share and a ranking as Germany’s third-largest gastronomy company.
LSG Sky Chefs, part of the LSG Group, is one of the world’s largest providers of airline catering and in-flight hospitality services. Founded in 1966 and historically headquartered in Germany, LSG operates catering facilities globally and serves hundreds of airlines as well as adjacent food service customers.
Vivaldi defined a brand strategy that repositioned LSG from airline caterer to food services company, aligned its portfolio and identified new business opportunities. LSG went on to reach more than 30% global market share and a ranking as Germany’s third-largest gastronomy company.
Redefining LSG around food services widened the territory it could credibly compete in. That made adjacent ventures part of the strategy instead of distractions from airline catering.
Employees and customers default to the category a company started in, which limits both ambition and credibility. Redefining the brand is often the precondition for a new strategy, not a marketing step that follows it.
A company can grow beyond the category that defined it, but only if its brand strategy gives the next category room to exist. The definition also needs to be specific enough to show which adjacencies are credible and which are not.