Bidvest buys UK’s Seafood Holdings

Bidvest, the diversified South African industrial company, has acquired 100% of the share capital of Seafood Holdings Limited in the UK for an enterprise value of GBP45-million.

Seafood was started by entrepreneur and CEO, Toby Baxendale, who has grown the business into a leading national fresh fish producer and distributor to the catering and hospitality industry in the United Kingdom.

Seafood includes famous regional brands such as Daily Fish and Southbank Fresh Fish in London, Direct Seafoods in London, Colchester and Scotland, Kingfisher Brixham, Openshaws in Birmingham and Manchester, Neve Fleetwood, and Taylor Foods based in Newcastle.

Baxendale, is to retire as CEO to pursue his many other interests.

Bidvest is confident the business with its strong and entrepreneurial management team and dedicated employees has the potential to contribute meaningfully to group performance over time.

Listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange, Bidvest has become one of the largest global foodservice. In addition to its interests in South African and the UK, Bidvest owns national foodservice distributors in Australia, Belgium, greater China, Czech Republic, Dubai, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Slovakia.