South African company worth R80.62 billion snapped up three companies for R1.67 billion

Bidvest made three acquisitions totalling R1.67 billion in its 2026 financial year, including one company for R1.5 billion.

These acquisitions are one of a few changes Bidvest made to its portfolio this year, with the group also selling part of or the entirety of its stake in three companies.

Bidvest released its results for the year through June 2026 on Monday, 31 August, which revealed strong results for the services, trading, and distribution company.

The group recorded revenue of R130.32 billion for the year, up 2.94% from the 2025 financial year.

Its profit for the year rose by 1.47% to R6.54 billion, while basic earnings per share from continuing operations reached 1,809 cents.

Bidvest generated R17.2 billion in cash from its operations, a 17% increase from the prior year.

The group said this performance reflects clear delivery against its 2026 financial year commitments. 

“The group improved organic growth momentum, materially increased cash generation, maintained capital discipline, deleveraged, and the programme to rebuild returns remains a priority,” it said.

Bidvest also managed to chip away at its debt in 2026, with the group’s net borrowings declining by R3.95 billion to R28.94 billion. Its total interest-bearing debt dropped to R35.20 billion, down from R39.09 billion last year.

This saw Bidvest’s credit metrics remain conservative, with net debt to EBITDA standing at 1.9:1, well under the 3:1 covenant threshold, and net interest cover reaching 6.4:1 against a minimum threshold of 3.5:1.

Aside from reporting strong financial results, Bidvest also announced several major changes made to its portfolio over the past year.

Its biggest acquisition for the year was 100% of Aquatico Group for R1.5 billion. Aquatico is a Pretoria-based environmental monitoring and laboratory testing specialist.

Bidvest said Aquatico complements previous acquisitions the company made, including WearCheck, and will significantly strengthen its Testing, Inspection, and Certification (TIC) portfolio.

The other two acquisitions Bidvest made were minor in comparison: Singapore-based Cleanbio Hygiene was bought for R23 million, and Spanish pest control business Arepla for R15 million.

Alongside these acquisitions, Bidvest also pruned its portfolio, disposing of non-core investments where it said synergies failed to materialise.

This included selling 100% of Autosure for R13.5 million, a 50% holding in Autohaus Centurion for R60 million, and a 75% stake in WearCheck Ghana for R9 million.

Bidvest further confirmed that its financial services businesses – Bidvest Bank and Bidvest Life – would remain categorised as held for sale, with the group committed to seeing the disposal process through.

“The board remains confident in Bidvest’s ability to build on the FY2026 performance,” it said. 

“The group has restored earnings momentum, demonstrated the cash-generative quality of its portfolio, and taken decisive action to sharpen capital allocation.” 

On the back of its strong results, Bidvest declared a final gross cash dividend of 483 cents per share.