Year end: Jun 2017
Assessment date: Feb 2018

A generally well-structured report with leadership reviews written in plain, understandable language, but with shallow graphics. Bidvest promotes its business model – taking a stake in businesses where it can retain the original owner’s “pride and passion.” However, sections on risks and material issues either lacking, or inadequate. Divisional overviews lack comparable KPIs for meaningful analysis. Reporting on Moral DNA reduced to listing codes of ethics, with basic compliance/ boiler-plate text in lieu of reporting.

No substantive reporting on employees, a concern given the labour-intensity of the business. On the other hand, reporting reflects an interest in further developing Bidvest’s position in the SA market and improving its B-BBEE status (currently at Level 4). Leadership voice around external societal challenges is strong and mature, noting also challenges in closing contracts with government and SOEs. Bidvest is generally confident that underlying businesses are well-positioned to exploit potential opportunities when the political situation shows signs of recovery.

See the executive summary for a more complete overview of FarSight’s analysis for Bidvest. Buy our full report for detailed analysis and supporting discussion.