SYY vs ALC Comparison

Sysco is the largest foodservice distributor in the US, with an 18% share of the $377 billion vertical. The firm sells and distributes over 500,000 food and nonfood products to about 730,000 customer locations, primarily serving restaurants, which represented 60% of fiscal 2025 sales. The balance of sales stems from healthcare facilities (8%), education and government customers (8%), travel and leisure clients (7%), and other smaller end markets (17%), like cafeterias. By segment, Sysco earns the bulk of its revenue from its US foodservice operations (70%), followed by its international footprint (18%), SYGMA, which focuses on quick-service logistics (10%), and other (2%). The pending Jetro Restaurant Depot deal stands to add $16 billion in sales upon close, expected in fiscal 2027.

Alcon is one of the leading visioncare companies in the world. Following nine years as a Novartis subsidiary, it was spun off as a public company in April 2019. Alcon operates in two segments: visioncare and surgical. Visioncare comprises contact lenses, lenscare solutions, and a suite of ocular health products. With brands like Dailies, Total1, and Air Optix, Alcon controls about one fourth of the US contact lens market. Surgical comprises intraocular lenses, ophthalmic surgical equipment, and consumables used during surgeries. Its main products include Centurion, a phacoemulsification device used during cataract surgeries, and a portfolio of IOLs including PanOptix and Vivity. Alcon has one of the largest installed bases of eye surgical equipment in the world.