French group Bernard Hayot which is already present in Morocco’s automobile distribution sector, reinforced its footprint as it overtook Pneurama, the kingdom’s leader in terms of pneumatic distribution. The transaction happened through a direct share purchase from former shareholders (the Soussana family) and a capital increase reserved for GBH, by 103.5 million dirham ($10.7 million).

Distributor of the Pirelli brand in Morocco, Pneurama has a turnover of 500 million dihram ($52 million), far ahead of its direct rivals which are Imperial Pneu (Dunlop and Goodyear brands), Bridgestone Tire Sales Maroc (Subsidiary of Japanese Bridgestone) and Pneu-Amine (Subsidiary of Tunisian STIP).

By acquiring this stake, GBH reinforces its automobile segment which contributes to 39% of its total turnover. In December 2014, the French company acquired from Fadoul, its subsidiary Socida which distributes the Renault and Suzuki car brands in Cote d’Ivoire. GBH is also a distributor of the Citroën and Scania brands in Algeria, and of Renault Trucks and Mazda in Ghana.

Born in Martinique, Bernard Hayot (photo) also runs a car rental business with various international franchises such as Hertz (whose purchase allowed it to pierce the Moroccan market in 2012), Europcar and System Lease. In addition to cars, GBH also operates in large-scale distribution with Carrefour, Décathlon and Mr Bricolage, present on Ile de la Réunion knowingly. This segment represents 51% of its turnover.