Moroccan Retail Giant Marjane Launches Small-Format Stores to Counter Turkish Rival

Marjane is now investing in proximity distribution to face the competition from the Turkish hard discounter BIM. "This competition has particularly impacted the Marjane group, the leader in large-scale distribution in Morocco," estimates the magazine Jeune Afrique. The Moroccan group launched a new chain of proximity supermarkets called Marjane City at the end of 2023.

Built on an area of about 350 m², these smaller sales outlets meet the daily needs of an urban and demanding clientele by offering a wide range of essential products and a quick shopping experience. They also offer a coffee shop where customers can dine or take a coffee break at any time of the day, thus creating a real meeting place for the neighborhood residents.

Marjane Group was founded in 1990. In addition to Marjane, the group has other brands such as the Acima supermarkets and the Electroplanet household appliance stores. Today, it has 150 stores spread across 30 cities and employs 12,000 employees. Its annual turnover exceeds 10 billion dirhams.

Its competitor BIM plans to invest one billion dirhams (96.7 million euros) over the next three years. The Turkish brand has reached nearly 800 stores in Morocco.