Lesieur Cristal, the Moroccan unit, is spearheading the Avril group in expanding its sales of table oils, soaps, margarines and condiments in Africa. Lesieur Cristal is now its only subsidiary on the African continent on the market for these consumer products, following a merger-acquisition operation.

This is a major step for the Avril group. This French giant of vegetable oils and proteins, which makes internationalization a strategic axis, is accelerating in Africa. He set out to conquer the consumer markets there with the idea of selling table oils, condiments, margarine and soap locally or exporting within this vast continent.

To achieve this, Avril is reorganizing its holdings and entrusting Lesieur Cristal, its Moroccan subsidiary listed on the Casablanca market, with the development of activities in this sector in Africa. Lesieur Cristal will lead all of Avril's activities in the consumer goods sector, in which it is already the leader in Morocco (edible oils, condiments, soaps).

Merger-acquisition

Following a merger and acquisition operation, Lesieur Cristal also takes control of Oleosen, a major player in table oils in Senegal, hitherto co-owned by the Avril group, and its partner, the Castel group. It also acquires Cristal Tunisie, which markets table oils and condiments in the country. The local shareholders of these two companies remain in the capital.

Avril also entrusts Lesieur Cristal with the operating license for the Lesieur table oils and condiments brands, Puget olive oil, as well as its business assets throughout the African continent. “We will continue to consolidate our leadership on the Moroccan market, in parallel with the conquest of new positions on the African continent. We will rely on strong brands known to local populations, which is a considerable asset for the success of this project,” commented Samir Oudghiri, Managing Director of Lesieur Cristal.

Produce and anchor brands locally

Avril displays an ambition extended to the majority of African countries, in the west and east first, then in the southern part of the continent in a second phase. The group wishes to install its portfolio of brands there. “We are going to choose a certain number of countries to which we will continue to export while we will create marketing subsidiaries in others, or even production capacities such as we have in Tunisia or Senegal. With a single subsidiary dedicated to consumer markets, we will generate additional synergies and we will weigh more heavily in the face of distribution”, explains to “Echos” Olivier Delaméa, general manager of Avril Végétal. In Senegal, Lesieur Cristal is the leader in soybean oil and number two in soap.

Lesieur Cristal, 100% consolidated in the Avril group accounts (5.8 billion euros), generated revenue of 450 million euros in 2019. Founded in 1983, Avril is the industrial and financial sector of vegetable oils and proteins. It is known to consumers for brands like Lesieur, Puget and Matines eggs. It is also active in the renewable energy sector, through the production of Diester and green chemistry, as well as animal feed with Sanders.