Bidvest Group is a South African multinational services, trading, and distribution company. Founded in 1988 and listed on the JSE, Bidvest is headquartered in Johannesburg, Gauteng. The group operates over 250 businesses across South Africa, Australia, Singapore, Spain, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
History
Bidvest was founded in 1988 by Brian Joffe, and listed on the JSE Limited in 1990. The Bidvest Group Limited has a corporate office in Johannesburg, South Africa.
A plan, first developed in 2012 and coming to fruition in 2016, saw the conglomerate unbundle its businesses. It split into a number of different businesses and sold off some others. One of the biggest was the separating of the Bidvest Food Services into a new listed company named Bidcorp that would focus on the food production and distribution businesses.
In 2017, Bidvest Group employed over 132,000 people.
In December 2024, Bidvest Group sold subsidiary Bidvest Bank to Access Bank South Africa, a local subsidiary of Nigerian banking group Access Bank. The deal had a total value of R2.8 billion.
Operations
Bidvest operates through two principal segments – business services and trading and distribution. These encompass businesses involved in outsourced services; freight management; industrial and consumer products; office products; and automotive retailing, among others. Bidvest's portfolio includes six principal divisions; Services South Africa, Services International, Freight, Branded Products, Commercial Products, and Automotive.
Subsidiaries
As of 2026, major companies that form part of Bidvest Group include:
CompanySectorHQEstablishedAcquiredRefAdcock IngramPharmaceuticalsMidrand, GautengBidvest International LogisticsLogisticsJohannesburg, Gauteng–Bidvest McCarthyAutomotiveJohannesburg, GautengBidvest Protea CoinSecurityCenturion, GautengBidvest Tank TerminalsBulk storageDurban, KwaZulu-NatalPlumblinkPlumbing productsSandton, GautengRennies TravelTravel servicesJohannesburg, GautengVoltexElectrical productsJohannesburg, GautengWaltonsOffice productsJohannesburg, GautengBidvest NoonanFacilities managementDublin, IrelandPHS GroupHygiene servicesManchester, EnglandBidvest Facilities ManagementFacilities managementJohannesburg, Gauteng–Bidvest AfcomPackaging and fasteningJohannesburg, Gauteng
References