UPDATE 2-Edenred posts Q1 beat as employers boost staff benefits

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By Federica Mileo

April 20 (Reuters) - French vouchers and cards provider Edenred SE beat estimates for first-quarter operating revenue on Thursday, as employers used its meal tickets and fuel cards to help staff cope with inflation.

Edenred has benefited over the past year from staff shortages and rising inflation that have pushed employers to spend more on workers' benefits.

"Amid reduced purchasing power, a talent war and the need for better control of fleet expenses, Edenred continued to benefit," the group said in a statement.

Edenred, which helps companies manage staff expenses and benefits and is known for its "Ticket Restaurant" vouchers, reported a first-quarter operating revenue of 519 million euros ($569 million), topping the 496 million forecast by analysts in a company-compiled consensus.

"Our revenue grew by more than 25%, once again proving our ability to closely align our solutions with the changing needs of companies and their employees," Chairman and CEO Bertrand Dumazy said in a statement.

Edenred's Employee Benefits business, which accounts for 61% of its operating income, benefited from the increase in maximum face value decided by governments in some of the countries where the group operates.

"We encourage our customers to pass on these increases to give their employees more purchasing power," Finance Chief Julien Tanguy said on a call with journalists.

The group announced the acquisition of 75% of the share capital of GOintegro, a Latin American provider of an employee engagement platform, which counts Bayer, General Electric and PepsiCo among its clients.

Edenred currently has more than 2 billion euros of acquisition capacity, CFO Tanguy told journalists.

The company confirmed its 2023 target, issued in October, for annual like-for-like growth of more than 12% in core profit.

($1 = 0.9128 euros) (Reporting by Federica Mileo in Gdansk; editing by Subhranshu Sahu and Jason Neely)