Compagnie de Distribution de Côte d’Ivoire (CDCI) is the number 2 food distribution company in Côte d’Ivoire with 127 shops spread between Abidjan and the interior of the country.
The company was acquired from Unilever in 2002 by Mr Yasser Ezzedine, an Ivorian entrepreneur of Lebanese origins and a pioneer of the Ivorian modern distribution.
CDCI operates under four brands: CDCI Gros, CDCI Demi-gros, King Cash and the Leader Price franchise. Over the past decade, Mr Ezzedine allowed the Company to achieve a large national coverage based on a strategy of proximity centered on the low to middle income customers. The Company has significantly expanded its network from 12 shops in 2002 to 127 shops in 2014 with a presence in Abidjan and the interior of Côte d’Ivoire.
CDCI seeks to consolidate its market share while expanding in the sub-region. The company intends to take advantage of the economic recovery, the emergence of a middle class, and a market still characterized by the low penetration of the modern retail market.
Role and added value of Amethis
Amethis has invested in this transaction jointly with Label’Vie, the number 2 of the food distribution sector in Morocco. Amethis has been instrumental in structuring this operation and has introduced the two partners to each other. The presence of Label’Vie alongside Amethis will contribute to provide strategic and operational value-added to CDCI while enhancing its brand identity in Côte d’Ivoire and the sub-region. Amethis and Label’Vie will be active participants in the governance and the management of the company.
