Aldes

What Aldes does

Aldes Business Brokers (Pty) Ltd is a privately-held business brokerage firm headquartered in Pretoria, South Africa, operating across all nine South African provinces and extending into Namibia (via a wholly-owned subsidiary, Aldes Namibia) and Botswana. The company connects sellers of small and medium-sized businesses with prospective buyers, running an online marketplace with approximately 962 active listings in South Africa and 100+ in Namibia spanning sectors including services, retail, food, manufacturing, property, franchises, and accommodation. Aldes self-describes as the largest business brokerage in South Africa and distributes through a network of 13+ named regional broker offices operating as sub-brands (Aldes Accellion, Exclusive, Lowveld, Album, Middelburg, Optima, Focus, Elevate, Orion, Alpha, Badu, and the Windhoek-based Namibia operation).

The company's revenue model is commission-based: Aldes earns transaction fees on completed business sales, providing free market valuations, buyer pre-screening, marketing, and transaction facilitation. The platform reports R44.75 million in pre-screened registered buyer finances, and listings show asking prices ranging from R120,000 to R176 million ZAR. Distribution combines a self-serve website (aldes.co.za) acting as the primary listing interface with a field-broker network providing personalized buyer/seller engagement; marketing is digital-led through Google Ads remarketing, blog content, and search optimization. The company has recently extended into auctions via a dedicated platform at aldesauctions.bidpro.co.za.

Operationally, Aldes presents as a low-technology, relationship-driven services firm. There are no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, no proprietary technology stack, no patents or certifications, no management team disclosed, no institutional investors, and no funding rounds on record. The legal entity is Aldes Business Brokers (Pty) Ltd, a private South African company. Headcount sits in the 101–250 band, but the franchise/affiliate structure means many of the named brokers operate as commission-earning agents rather than direct employees. Founded per the company history in 2010 (note: a conflicting firmographic record lists 1979), Aldes has expanded organically into a multi-country, multi-brand brokerage network across Southern Africa.

Name

Aldes

Legal name

Aldes Business Brokers (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://aldes.co.za

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aldes Business Brokers is a Pretoria-headquartered business brokerage operating across South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. It connects sellers of small-to-medium businesses with pre-screened buyers via an online marketplace and a distributed broker network, earning commissions on completed transactions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Business Brokerage Services

NAICS

Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers (53121)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531)

akta.pro primary industry

Lower Middle-Market Business Brokerage (FSAEAIAB)

Keywords

• Business brokerage services
• Business sales facilitation
• Franchise reselling
• Business valuations
• Commercial brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Pretoria

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Business Brokerage Commissions: Aldes earns commissions on successful business sales by connecting buyers and sellers of businesses. They provide valuations, marketing, and facilitation services for business transactions across various sectors and price ranges in South Africa and Namibia.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aldes operates the largest business brokerage in South Africa, connecting buyers and sellers of small to medium-sized businesses, franchises, and commercial properties across South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. The company provides free market valuations, professional brokering services, and access to a pre-screened database of buyers with available finances, facilitated through a nationwide network of regional brokers and an online marketplace platform.

Product overview

Aldes is a business brokerage platform operating across South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana. The company facilitates the buying and selling of businesses, franchises, and commercial properties through an online marketplace. Their platform enables users to search and filter businesses by sector (services, food, retail, manufacturing, property, franchise, accommodation), location, selling price, and annual turnover. Key service offerings include free market valuations, broker matching, and access to pre-screened buyers. The platform lists businesses ranging from small enterprises to large commercial operations across multiple provinces and industry categories.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Business Brokerage Services Core brokerage service connecting sellers of small to medium-sized businesses with qualified buyers across South Africa, Namibia, and Botswana, including valuations, marketing, buyer screening, and transaction facilitation.
• Business Auctions Auction-based sales channel for businesses and commercial opportunities, operated via aldesauctions.bidpro.co.za.
• Free Market Valuation Free market-related valuation provided to business owners to determine a realistic selling price and position their business for sale.
• Franchise Brokerage Specialized brokerage service for buying and selling franchise businesses across various sectors in South Africa.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Transworld Business Advisors: Transworld is a US-based franchised business brokerage and M&A advisory firm focused on SMB transactions. Like Aldes, it operates an affiliate broker model with local offices and a national brand, and also handles franchise resales.
• BusinessesForSale.com: BusinessesForSale.com is a global online marketplace for business listings. It is comparable to Aldes' online listings platform and targets the same buyer/seller SMB segment across multiple geographies.
• BizBuySell: BizBuySell is the largest online marketplace for buying and selling businesses in the US. It is directly comparable to Aldes' website platform model — enabling self-serve listing and search — though without Aldes' broker intermediation layer.
• Murphy Business & Financial Corporation: Murphy is a North American franchised business brokerage and M&A advisory with a model very similar to Aldes: affiliated brokers, valuations, and transaction support for SMBs and lower middle-market businesses.
• VR Business Brokers / M&A: VR is a US business brokerage network with affiliated brokers facilitating SMB sales. Directly comparable to Aldes' broker network structure and SMB transaction focus.
• Sunbelt Business Brokers: Sunbelt is one of the largest business brokerage networks globally, operating a franchise/affiliate model closely analogous to Aldes'. Both broker SMB transactions through distributed local brokers with centralised brand and process support.

Emerging players

• Quiet Light Brokerage: Quiet Light is an online-focused business brokerage for e-commerce and SaaS businesses. It overlaps with Aldes on the listing/marketplace mechanics and buyer-seller matching, but targets digital-native businesses.
• Empire Flippers: Empire Flippers is an online business brokerage specialising in the sale of established online businesses and digital assets. Comparable to Aldes as an online-enabled brokerage, but focused on a narrower digital-business segment.

Regional players

• Vested Business Exchange: Vested is a South African business-for-sale listing platform. It is directly comparable to Aldes' local marketplace offering and operates in the same Southern African SMB transaction market.
• Business Partners International: Business Partners is a South African investment company focused on SME finance and ownership transitions. Comparable to Aldes as a regional SMB deal facilitator, though primarily capital provision rather than pure brokerage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/aldesmburg
• Facebookfacebook.com/aldesbusinessbrokers

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aldes