Egyptian Retailer Kazyon Challenges BIM’s Dominance in Moroccan Discount Market

Nearly a year after its establishment in Morocco, the Egyptian Kazyon is positioning itself as a direct competitor to Bim Stores. After opening 100 stores in the Kingdom, the hard-discounter founded by Hassan Heikal intends to move to 600 new openings in the very near future. For its part, the Turkish BIM, which has been established in Morocco since 2008, now has 745 stores. The retail chain does not intend to stop there. After opening 60 stores in 2023, it is continuing its development in Morocco with 58 new addresses this year. Its turnover amounts to 4.1 billion dirhams.

"In Morocco, will the Turkish BIM or the Egyptian Kazyon win the hard-discount race?", headlines Jeune Afrique in an article devoted to the two hard-discounters. Founded in 1995 by Mustafa Latif Topbas, said to be close to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, BIM had, at the end of 2023, more than 11,200 stores in Turkey, 356 in Egypt and 687 in Morocco, while the Egyptian chain, created in 2014, has "only" opened a few 1,000 stores, specifies the pan-African magazine. And to question: "Too small to disturb the Turkish giant?" That’s without counting on the appetite of Hassan Heikal, who intends to storm the Moroccan market by opening 200 stores within two years - and 600 stores in five years.

"As it expands, Kazyon will gradually eat away at BIM’s customer base". The two chains are hunting on the same grounds", says an informed source in the large-scale distribution sector, who reveals that the Egyptian group has entrusted the management of its Moroccan subsidiary to Mohamed Benmezouara, the former boss of BIM Morocco, from 2008 to 2015.