Brunel Laboratoria and Avid Brands join forces to strengthen South African healthcare and personal-care offering

Johannesburg, South Africa – Brunel Laboratoria (Pty) Ltd has announced the commencement of the operational integration of Avid Brands S.A. into the business.

The merger brings together two established South African businesses with complementary strengths across healthcare and personal care, creating a combined business with 37 established brands.

While the merger was completed at shareholder level in November 2025, the integration will combine the capabilities, expertise and established relationships of both organisations under the Brunel Laboratoria name.

The joined capabilities create opportunities to strengthen the business across both pharmacy and retail channels, while enabling greater focus on distribution, customer relationships and product development.

Brunel Laboratoria will bring together a larger commercial operation, with more salespeople operating in the field, supported by dedicated retail and pharmacy leadership. The expanded team will allow Brunel Laboratoria to increase its focus on pharmacy relationships while strengthening its engagement with major retail and trade customers.

"This merger brings together two South African businesses with diverse strengths and a shared opportunity for growth," said Michiel Venter Chief Executive Officer of Brunel Laboratoria.

"Brunel Laboratoria has built strong capabilities in pharmacy and distribution, while Avid has developed strong retail relationships and a portfolio of established brands. Bringing these strengths together creates a more capable business, with the scale and resources to serve our customers and partners more effectively."

"Having been part of Avid since 2004, I have seen the business and its brands develop over more than two decades. Bringing our teams, relationships and expertise together with Brunel Laboratoria creates an exciting opportunity to build on that history while creating something stronger for our customers and the market," said Deon Verster, Sales Director of Brunel Laboratoria.

The operational integration will bring Avid's teams and capabilities into the broader Brunel Laboratoria organisation, including sales, marketing, supply chain, warehouse and sales support functions. The combined management structure will bring together expertise across commercial, operational, financial and people functions.

The combined business will be headquartered in Gauteng, with a satellite office in Durban to support the company's national operations.

For existing customers and partners, the focus remains on maintaining continuity while strengthening the capabilities supporting them. Brunel Laboratoria will continue to invest in its brands, relationships and overall capabilities to support consistent product availability and create opportunities for continued innovation and growth.

The merger represents an important milestone in Brunel Laboratoria’s development, bringing together two established South African businesses to create a stronger platform for growth across the country's healthcare and personal-care markets.

About Brunel Laboratoria

Brunel Laboratoria (Pty) Ltd is a South African healthcare company with a diverse portfolio of pharmaceutical, complementary and consumer health products. Its portfolio includes Famucaps, Lessmusec, Myoprin, Prodol, Brunel-branded products, Elev8, Floradix, Hot Toddy, and Sinulex. Brunel was established in 1974.

About Avid Brands

Avid Brands S.A. (Pty) Ltd is a South African healthcare company with a diverse portfolio of medicinal, complementary and personal-care products. Its portfolio includes Lipsano, Nu-Hair, HR Hair Care, Nu-Lite, Skinsano, Household medicines, Bioharmony and Impilo, which will continue as part of Brunel Laboratoria's expanded brand portfolio. Avid was established in 2004.

Media contact

Brunel Laboratoria (Pty) Ltd
info@brunel.co.za
www.brunel.co.za

About Brunel Laboratoria (extended)

Established in 1974, Brunel Laboratoria is a leading South African healthcare and pharmaceutical distribution company with over 50 years of industry experience. Headquartered in Gauteng, Brunel operates a SAHPRA-licensed, state-of-the-art 1,800 m² temperature-controlled distribution facility in Centurion, providing compliant, end-to-end supply chain solutions to over 1,700 active accounts monthly across independent pharmacies, major retail chains, and hospital networks nationally.

Following the strategic integration of Avid Brands S.A., Brunel Laboratoria manages a diverse portfolio of 37 established consumer healthcare, personal-care, and pharmaceutical brands. The company’s expanded brand stable includes household market leaders such as Lipsano, Nu-Hair, Famucaps, HR Hair Care, Lessmusec, Myoprin, Prodol, Sinulex, Elev8, Floradix, Hot Toddy, Skinsano, and Bioharmony. Built on strong core pillars of Service, Quality, Innovation, Growth, and Responsibility, Brunel is committed to driving growth for trade partners while delivering accessible, reliable, and trusted healthcare solutions to South African consumers.

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