Small Merchants Remain Vital to Morocco’s Economy, Minister Says

"The small merchant is at the heart of the government’s concerns due to his major social role," said the minister, highlighting the considerable social impact of these economic actors.

Beyond their commercial activity, small merchants are key players in financial inclusion. They grant proximity loans, lending an average of 840 dirhams to each Moroccan family. Nearly a third of their transactions do not even concern the sale of products, but services such as bill payment or cash supply. The government is working to integrate these small businesses into modern distribution networks, which currently have 1,000 units compared to 250,000 small merchants.

The ministry claims to have already implemented 70% of the recommendations from the 2019 Moroccan Trade Forum to support the development of the sector. A National Merchant’s Day is also organized each year. This allows to take stock of the actions undertaken, to discuss the progress and to present the upcoming projects in collaboration with the representatives of the sector.

The expansion of modern distribution networks, particularly hard discount like BIM or Kazyon, has not been as significant as expected. While initial projections estimated a market share of 50%, it has only reached 20%. The government is therefore working closely with small merchants to help them diversify their revenue streams, recalling that the sale of mobile phone top-ups, for example, now accounts for 30% of their income.

Ryad Mezzour also emphasized the major role of the small merchant in the growth of e-commerce. As a true intermediary between digital platforms and consumers, he actively contributes to the digital transformation of commerce, he said.