South African company worth R147 billion snaps up five companies in a year

Bid Corporation (Bidcorp) bought five companies in the past year, with these businesses already contributing R2.7 billion in revenue and R142 million in trading profit. 

This was revealed in the company’s financial results for the year ended 30 June 2026, where it posted revenue growth of 2.8% to R242.2 billion. 

Bidcorp is an international food service, distribution and technology group that supplies restaurants, hotels, and caterers in over 35 countries. 

The company delivers fresh and frozen food products, as well as industrial chemicals and cleaning and hospitality services. 

Coming out of the Bidvest stable, the company is highly decentralised and has a reputation for being a serial acquirer. 

As with Bidvest, the company has predominantly grown through acquisitions and dealmaking rather than organically expanding operations. 

This has created a unique entity that is simultaneously a giant and a collection of autonomous, small local businesses that can offer tailored services to clients. 

The company has used this to its advantage to maintain its historic entrepreneurial spirit and leave operational decisions to people on the ground. 

To drive efficiency, the group centralises back-office operations, such as compliance, finance and accounting, IT systems, and human resources. 

In its most recent results, Bidcorp maintained its reputation as a serial acquirer, snapping up five new foodservice businesses worldwide. These are: 

• Hodgson & Sailbrand, a seafood wholesaler based in the northeast of England (100% acquisition, effective from July 2025)
• Gruppo Alimentare Sardo SPA, a foodservice distributor in Sardinia, Italy (79% acquisition, effective from July 2025)
• Chuan Yee, a foodservice distributor in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (100% acquisition, effective from July 2025)
• Fridge Foods, a foodservice distributor based in the Eastern and Western Cape, South Africa (100% acquisition, effective from August 2025) 
• Baltimer, a fish processing business based in Poland (100% acquisition, effective November 2025).

Bidcorp said these businesses contributed R2.7 billion in revenue in the past financial year and R142 million to trading profit. 

By making businesses more efficient through the centralisation of back-office operations, Bidcorp can rapidly increase its profitability. 

Thus, while its revenue growth was only 2.8% year-on-year, its trading profit rose by 6.5% year-on-year. The company’s headline earnings per share grew by 5.4% to R2.7 per share. 

Bidcorp’s future, however, may look very different from its past, with the company now focusing on organic growth in its key markets rather than acquisitions. 

It aims to do this by selling a wider range of products to existing customers and by bringing in new companies within its operations. 

The company did say that it will continue to be on the lookout for bolt-on acquisitions in the countries in which it already operates.