Bidvest Group

The Bidvest Group Limited is an international investment holding company with investments across the foodservice, broad services, trading and distribution industries.^[6] The Group was founded in 1988 and listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1990. The Group owns or has significant holdings in over 300 companies and is active across five continents.^[7] The Bidvest Group Limited has a corporate office in Johannesburg, South Africa, and employs approximately 137,000 people worldwide.^[8]

Business model

The Bidvest Group manages a decentralised business model in which each company in the Group operates under its own management. The Group has a strong acquisitive strategy towards growing its global presence across a diverse range of industries.^[9]

History

The Bidvest Group Limited was founded in 1988 by entrepreneur, Brian Joffe, who continues to serve the company as Group chief executive.^[10] The company’s first acquisition was Chipkins Catering supplies in 1988, followed by Sea World frozen foods.^[11] The company listed on the JSE Limited in 1990.

The Group’s international expansion began in 1995 when it acquired 50.1% of Manettas, listed on the Australian Stock Exchange.^[12]

Structure

Bidvest has a corporate office in Johannesburg, from which global business operations are conducted. Management, with the support of the board of directors, monitors the performance of the Group’s investments and provides divisional management with expertise and guidance. The diverse nature of Bidvest investments allows the Group to capitalise on the synergy between and within different industries.^[13]

Divisions

Bidvest South Africa

The division includes a variety of service and product offerings: freight management; the manufacture, supply and distribution of office products and office automation; leading motor brands; travel management systems; aviation services; security services; outsourced cleaning and landscaping services; hygiene rental equipment; industrial products; consumer appliances, packaging and catering equipment, electrical products and services; printing and related solutions and a full suite of banking and insurance products.^[14]

Bidvest Food Service

The division comprises market-leading foodservice product distributors across several countries in the Asia Pacific region, Europe, Middle East, South America and Southern Africa. Independent business units operate across the food and food-ingredient manufacturing industries, including catering, hospitality, leisure, baked goods, poultry, meat, seafood and food processing.^[15]

Bidvest Namibia

The division is listed on the Namibian Stock Exchange and is the holding company for Bidvest's interests in Namibia, which include fishing and commercial businesses. The business is divided into two divisions: Bidvest Namibia Fisheries Holdings and Bidvest Namibia Commercial Holdings.^[16]

Bidvest Corporate

The division houses several of the Group’s investments and functions as a complementary service provider to the decentralised operational divisions within the Group. These services include strategic direction, access to corporate finance, compliance, investor relations and corporate communications, Bidvest brand support, executive training and oversight and management of Groupwide financial, risk and sustainability issues.^[17]

Leadership

The Bidvest Group Limited board comprises eighteen members: six executive directors and twelve independent non-executive directors.^[18]

Chairperson

Ms Lorato Phalatse was appointed non-executive chairperson of the board of the Bidvest Group Limited from 25 March 2013. Her qualifications include a BA in Political Science (Hons) from the University of Leeds and an MA in Southern African Studies from the University of York. Ms Phalatse is a non-executive director of Pick n Pay and has held various leadership positions over the years, including Deputy Director General in the Office of the President and a number of positions in the FMCG and Retail Banking sectors.^[19]

Chief executive

Mr Brian Joffe founded the Bidvest Group in 1988, becoming chief executive in 2004 after stepping down as the Group’s executive chairman. He is a qualified chartered accountant and successful entrepreneur with over 30 years’ business experience. Mr Joffe is listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the 20 most powerful people in African business.^[20]

Community involvement

The Bidvest Group Limited contributes to community development through its various businesses which are actively involved within their communities. Corporate projects include:

• Rally to Read is a community outreach program providing books and educational materials to students and teachers at under-privileged South African schools.^[21]
• Shout SA is a movement by local musicians and artists to raise money in order to fund projects that will reduce crime in South Africa.^[22]
• Hear for Life Trust provides funding for the costly cochlear implant surgery required for hearing-impaired individuals to regain their hearing.
• Pink Drive is a Public Benefit Organisation raising awareness of breast cancer and providing support to sufferers with its mobile mammography units – a first for South Africa.^[23][24]
• Bidvest Heart Team represents a significant investment by the Group in equity funding at Strait Access Technologies Holdings (SATH) towards the development of cost-effective alternatives to expensive open-heart surgery.^[25]

Bidvest Academy

The Bidvest Academy is a training and leadership programme for young executives in the Group. The programme was launched in May 2003 and is open to individuals from across all Bidvest’s companies throughout South Africa who are nominated by their respective divisional chief executives for their leadership qualities.

The course comprises several two-day and four-day intensive workshops spread over six months, in which delegates learn key corporate and leadership skills. The final outcome of the programme is a project proposal presented by each group of delegates to Group chief executive, Brian Joffe, and divisional chief executives.^[26]

References