Bidvest grows profit and cash flow despite tough trading conditions

Stephen speaks to Mpumi Madisa, CEO of Bidvest, about the company’s resilient half-year performance and strategic priorities in a competitive South African and global market. 

Listen to the interview in the audio player below.

Diversified services and trading group, Bidvest Group has reported a solid set of half-year results, showing that careful cost control and steady demand across its businesses helped lift profits in a challenging market.

For the six months ended December 31, the group grew trading profit by 6.9% to R6.7 billion. Revenue rose 3.7% to R66.7 billion, while profit margins improved slightly.

One of the strongest features of the results was cash generation. Bidvest produced R3.8 billion in free cash during the period, almost R2 billion more than the same time last year.

The company said this was driven by better operational performance, tighter control of working capital and steady capital spending.

To help manage its debt profile, the group raised a new $500 million seven-year bond in September 2025. This move extended repayment timelines and improved funding costs.

Speaking to Stephen Grootes on The Money Show, Mpumi Madisa, CEO of Bidvest says they're seeing major growth in the business. 

"As we build scale, we then have a bigger platform from which to grow. And once you've got scale, you've got synergies that you're able to extract. You've got economies of scale that enable you from a pricing perspective, so you're absolutely correct, there have been market share gains."

- Mpumi Madisa, CEO - Bidvest

"I think, relative to the rest of the world, South African has a number of green shoots, and I think structurally the South African economy is going to support business better going forward. Inflation is down, interest rates are down, that's great for a consumer from a disposable income perspective."

- Mpumi Madisa, CEO - Bidvest

"We've seen strong growth coming out of our hygiene businesses, and this is globally. Our hygiene businesses, all of them have performed well, whether in South Africa or in the UK or in Australia, all of them have really performed well."

- Mpumi Madisa, CEO - Bidvest

Scroll to the top of the article to listen to the full interview.