Libstar Holdings Limited (JSE:LBR) is looking for acquisitions. Robin Walter Smith, Commercial Director, said, “You'll be aware that Libstar was indeed started and developed on a buy-and-build strategy with more focus, perhaps, in a lot in recent years on build rather than buy. However, strategic acquisitions remain very much part of our 3 pronged growth strategy as enunciated by Andries earlier.

And we currently, as Charl said, we have a solid and fit balance sheet. So we have sufficient cash and facility headroom to execute on strategic acquisitions. And we are currently looking at a number of promising opportunities.

From an outlook perspective, just going back slightly, 2020 seemed to be a very subdued year in terms of acquisition activity. But things have changed. As Paul pointed out, I think the world has started to wake up and realize that pandemic is not going anywhere soon and people who are perhaps sitting on their hands in terms of thinking about disposing of their businesses, all or parts, have kind of changed their minds and got into gear.

And so we've seen an increase in potential M&A activity, particularly in our space, but talking to banks and others in other sectors as well. And so, yes, 3 or 4 or 5 opportunities have come across our desk recently, and we're in the process of evaluating these against our acquisition criteria”.