JAMIE CARR: Aspen Pharmacare’s truly biblical hammering
The core business, however, remains sound, and amid all the hysteria there may well be a buying opportunity
This has been a busy year for Vivo, which operates service stations and flogs fuel across Africa. The company got its IPO away in May 2018, then on March 1 2019 it completed a transformative deal to acquire 230 Engen service stations in eight countries, which brings its network to 2,130 service stations across 23 African markets. Behind the scenes it was implementing the first stages of an enterprise resource planning system to transform its analytical capabilities and efficiency. CEO Christian Chammas is bullish about the prospects for a continent that he describes as "surging forward", noting that demographic and economic trends are "almost universally positive" across Africa. More people becoming more affluent leads to more spending, not just on fuel but on fast food and the other retail offerings that its service stations provide, and this in turn drives activity in the commercial sector, where Vivo provides fuel and lubricants to companies in construction, mining, aviation, tra...
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Subscribe now to unlock this article.
Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).
There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.
Cancel anytime.
Questions? Email helpdesk@businesslive.co.za or call 0860 52 52 00. Got a subscription voucher? Redeem it now.