Moncef Belkhayat: “With Chef Sam, we are moving from a local company to a regional group”

Moncef Belkhayat
President of Dislog Group

In a context of international growth, Moncef Belkhayat, president of Dislog Group, discusses the recent strategic acquisition of Chef Sam which strengthens Dislog’s presence in Europe. The businessman focuses on the integration challenges, the expected South-North synergies, and the long-term vision of the company, which is now positioned as a key player in the distribution, health and agri-food.

The integration of Chef Sam into the fold of Dislog Europe will require you to take on many challenges. How do you anticipate them?
Chef Sam is the 22nd company our group has acquired. Over the years, we have developed internal expertise allowing us to target, evaluate, acquire and integrate businesses while generating operational and financial synergies.

Concerning Chef Sam, the main difficulty linked to integration will certainly be the adaptation of information systems and the management of the human element, with particular attention to the cultural dimension. This will be the first challenge that our teams will have to overcome.

With this acquisition, Dislog Group is now positioned as a key player in food distribution in Europe. What are your short and medium term objectives to strengthen the group’s presence in these markets?
Now that the acquisition is finalized, our priority is to merge the operations of Taste Distribution, Cultures de France and Chef Sam in France. We will then work to develop our own brands in the nine countries where we are present. Finally, we will set up an export aggregation platform for consumer products, from Morocco to certain European countries.

You mentioned the desire to create South-North synergies between the Moroccan and European markets. Can you tell us more about the types of synergies you hope to realize and the benefits expected for the Moroccan economy?
We have identified several products made in Morocco which would have a perfect place on the shelves of large European retailers. I am thinking in particular of juices, canned fish, couscous, and especially fruits and vegetables, a segment that could interest us in the medium term. Inflation over the last three years in Europe has made the Moroccan industry more competitive, and many Moroccan brands are now ready to establish themselves on the shelves of European mass retailers.

Dislog Group is experiencing significant growth in Morocco and internationally. What are the next steps for the group in terms of diversification and innovation, nationally and internationally?
For now, we remain focused on our current markets which include Spain, Portugal, Benelux, Romania, Poland and the United Kingdom. In each of these countries we have a country director and a team who represent us to clients such as El Corte Inglés, Auchan, Carrefour and Lidl. We serve a total of 26 retail customers, as well as 12,000 independent customers across nine countries. We have become the leading European distributor in terms of coverage of independent customers and the third in France. Once our European operations are well stabilized, we will consider expansion into North America, but this will not happen before 2027/2028.

Timeline of Dislog Group’s key acquisitions over recent years

Build a Better World – Chef Sam (2024): Dislog Group acquired 100% of this Spanish company specializing in the distribution of European food brands such as Vitacoco and Heura, for an amount of 40 million euros.

Fromagerie de l’Atlas (2024): Dislog acquired 51% of the shares of this Moroccan company specializing in the production and sale of dairy products, thus aligning its diversification strategy in the agri-food industry.

Sanicroix (2024): Dislog Group, through its industrial subsidiary Hygiène Modern Industries (HMI), acquired the Sanicroix brand from Procter & Gamble. This brand is a leader in the category of multi-purpose cleaners in Morocco and enriches Dislog’s product portfolio in the hygiene sector.

CMB Plastique Maroc (2023): Dislog acquired this subsidiary of Mutandis for 330 million dirhams, thus strengthening its presence in the plastic products sector in Morocco.

Steripharma and Somapharma (2023): Dislog acquired a majority stake in Steripharma, a generic drug manufacturer in Morocco, as well as Somapharma, a pharmaceutical promotion company. This marks an important step in the group’s diversification into the health sector.

Megaflex (2023): Dislog Group acquired a majority stake of 75% in Megaflex, a company specializing in the distribution and maintenance of equipment for medical analysis laboratories. This acquisition allows Dislog to strengthen its position in the healthcare value chain.

Sanae Raqui / ECO Inspirations