Egyptian Retailer Kazyon Challenges BIM’s Dominance in Moroccan Market

Six months after its establishment in Morocco, the Egyptian Kazyon already has 50 sales outlets with an area between 150 m² and 300 m², mainly in Casablanca. Enough to worry its direct competitor BIM Stores Maroc, which has been established in the kingdom for about fifteen years. It took the latter years to become the undisputed leader of small-scale distribution with more than 600 stores. Last February, the holding company of the Kazyon group UK Limited (based in England) announced that it would open 200 stores within 2 years in Morocco and be profitable the following year, "unlike BIM Maroc whose path to profitability took a little less than ten years," says Challenge.

To achieve its objectives, particularly the deployment abroad, the group raised $165 million (more than 1.7 billion dirhams) from a consortium of investors led by the London fund manager DPI (Development Partners International). The latter is a seasoned expert in Morocco, as it has carried out several operations there (CMGP, Pharmaceutical Institute, Dolidol, Université Privée de Marrakech, Touax Africa...).