Rabat – In a likely bid to dispel allegations of acting as a “Trojan horse” for Turkish products in Morocco, Turkish retail brand BIM has announced its commitment to support Moroccan industry.
On Thursday, BIM unveiled its plans to introduce “Made in Morocco” products into its Turkish network, marking a significant step in strengthening local sourcing, indicated the retail brand in a press release.
Under the new initiative, BIM’s 10,000 stores in Turkey will offer a wide selection of Moroccan textile products that meet international standards while remaining competitively priced.
Haluk Dortluoglu, Chairman of the Board of Directors at BIM Morocco, expressed his enthusiasm with the initiative. “We are pleased with this collaboration, which embodies our ambition to support Moroccan industry and takes our partnership with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, within the framework of strengthening local sourcing, to another dimension.”
The move comes after BIM faced criticism from former Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Moulay Hafid Alami, who accused the brand of contributing to the closure of small grocery stores and shops in Morocco and prioritizing Turkish products over local ones.
Following these accusations, Turkey agreed to review the Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Morocco, considering the North African country’s trade deficit estimated at $1.2 billion at the time, DayFr Euro reported.
BIM’s latest initiative to market textiles produced in Morocco aims to demonstrate its confidence in the Moroccan industry as a whole, with textiles being the first product category to be introduced, Dortluoglu added.
He emphasized the company’s commitment to Moroccan manufacturing, saying, “BIM makes more than 85% of its supply in Morocco and has the ambition to increase this figure in the years to come.”
Dortluoglu further revealed plans to expand this initiative to other product categories, including discussions with local operators in the agri-food sector to establish new partnerships.
Read also: BIM: We Buy 85% of Products from Morocco
