AfCFTA and Quest to Capture Africa’s Mattress Market

Dolidol is working towards emerging as Africa’s giant mattress manufacturer with its acquisition of Mouka and expansion of its manufacturing operations in countries that are spread across East, West and North Africa, writes Dike Onwuamaeze

The Dolidol Group, a Morocco-based foam mattress giant, is poised to make the most of the opportunities that is offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement.  In this regard, the group has established its presence in the African foam market with manufacturing plants in West, East and North Africa.

One of its major expansion strategies across the continent is acquisition of existing firms. In 2021, it initiated a strategic move in Nigeria that culminated in the acquisition of Mouka, one of the market leaders in Nigerian mattresses, pillows, and beddings sector. Dolidol believed that a foothold in Africa’s largest economy and its most populous country with more than 200 million people, Nigeria would offer the group a huge market size that could propel its growth.

This was highlighted recently by a partner at Development Partners International (DPI), Mrs. Sofiane Lahmar, who commented on Mouka’s membership of the Dolidol Group.

Lahmar said: “As the most populous country in Africa, Nigeria shares many of the same trends as the rest of the continent, including positive demographics, a fast-growing middle class, and rising consumer-spend. We remain confident in the future of the business and look forward to working with both management teams to execute the company’s ambitious strategy and vision.”

Speaking in the same vein, the Managing Director of Mouka Limited, Mr. Femi Fapohunda, expressed the hope that as a member of the Dolidol Group, with state-of-the-art infrastructure and technological innovation, Mouka would continually evolve the culture of innovating and renovating its products portfolio to adequately cater to the needs of various demographics segments it is serving.

Mouka is one of the most admired mattress, pillows, and bedding manufacturing firm in Nigeria and it was no surprise that it went into bed with Dolidol, an aggressive foam mattress giant that is based in Morocco.

Dolidol’s stake in Mouka no doubt is a significant boost to the realisation of its expansion bid and quest to capture the African foam mattress industry, sustain its market leadership position in the continent and also diversify into other operations within the sector’s value chain.

Stakeholders in the mattress industry believe that Mouka’s marriage with the Dalidol Group would enable it to retain, if not surpass, its performance in the foam and mattress industry given its pragmatic marketing approach that gave it an unassailable competitive edge above its closest industry rival, an effort that has grown the Mouka brand and earned it a leadership status in the bedding and mattress industry in Nigeria.

Having been involved in propagating healthy sleep among Nigerians with products of ergonomic and global standards for more than six decades, Mouka’s sleep solutions have been certified by health experts like the Nigeria Society of Physiotherapy (NSP) and the National Association of Orthopaedic Manual Therapists (NAOMT).

These bodies acknowledged that, “the production protocols and finished products of Mouka has met international standard in line with best practices. The durability, quality, and ergonomic compliance are satisfactory and we are confident they are perfect for good sleep which improves perfect well-being and healthy future because of the reliable quality the company has exhibited since its inception.”

Among the products being promoted by Mouka are brands such as the Well-being Topper and Well-being Hybrid mattresses, Well-being orthopaedic mattress, Royal luxury pillow top mattress, Mondeo plus Spring mattress, Eco-Comfy Fibre mattress, and the Dreamtime Baby mattress.

Its topnotch quality pillow brands are the Crown Anti-Allergy Pillow, the Bio Pillow, made with groundbreaking biocrystal technology and the Royal Memory Foam Pillow for consumers’ well-being.

Prior to its acquisition of Mouka, the Dolidol Group has made significant progress in its bid to capture the African foam mattress industry, sustain its market leadership position, and diversify into other operations.

Speaking recently about this in a report that was monitored on Cable News Network (CNN), the Managing Director of Dolidol Group, Mr. Jaafar Harti, affirmed that the company was poised to provide unique brands as a pacesetter in mattress manufacturing sector for consumers’ satisfaction.

Harti said: “We are firm believers in Africa’s ability and the capacity to grow at a very large pace than the continent was doing over the last years. The best is about to come and happen as we are leaders in all the businesses we operate.” 

He pointed out that Dolidol is presently operating three different complementary activities, the first is the foam mattress business; the second is its carpentry operations in Morocco, which is providing doors and kitchen closets to customers, as well as its large infrastructure projects for educational institutions, and clinics, among others, that are also exported to Sub-Sahara African countries. The third activity, according to Harti, is the recycling business which Dolidol entered into in 2022.

According to the CNN report, the Morocco market was serving the mattress giant well with a sound ambition of spreading across the African continent, an operation Harti explained was around $250 million and $300 million, but not necessarily large enough, hence its expansion drive to grow as a Pan-African brand.

The Dolidol’s boss said the inclination to deepen the group’s presence across the continent was what paved the way for the establishment of its first plant outside Morocco, in Abidjan, Cote D’ Ivoire, in 2016, and the Mouka acquisition in May 2021. These strategic moves have given the group access to the largest African market where it has continued to thrive.

According to him, though there are challenges in the foam mattress industry, he is very confident that there are opportunities for the company, as it is well positioned in the manufacturing of high-quality products in the African continent and to maintain its leading market share.

Dolidol’s expansion has also extended into East Africa with its acquisition of a majority stake in a major operator in Ethiopia, the continent’s second most populous market. Dolidol also has projects underway in Uganda, which would enable it to supply neighbouring countries such as Sudan, Somalia, Kenya, Rwanda, and Tanzania. As part of its institutionalisation project, the Dalidol Group opened up its capital to the DPI investment fund in October 2018, which has enabled it to pursue its development ambitions in line with its African strategic vision.

The Dolidol Group’s inroad into the African market is marked with its supply of quality and innovative brands that have dictated the pace in the industry where it has a huge market share.

Harti affirmed that the trailblasing company is poised in providing unique brands as a pacesetter in its sector for consumers’ satisfaction.   

Dolidol expansion drive in the African market is well aligned with the crave for market dominance and improved brand visibility on the global stage by firms. This has necessitated the expansion bid by organisations, whether in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), telecom, healthcare, technology, and in the foam mattress sector, among others, through affiliation, partnership, subsidiaries, and other viable strategies for maximum benefits.

Besides, there are other factor propelling the Dolidol Group’s determined spreading of its tentacles across the length and breadth of Africa. One of them is that the global mattress market, which is valued at $32.83 billion in 2022, is expected to grow between 2023 and 2028 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.0 per cent, thereby reaching a projected market value of $48.81 billion by 2028.

Another factor is the increase in the demand for high-quality mattress and pillow products mattresses due to the remarkable growth taking place in the hospitality industry that is propelled by the rapid expansion of five-star and seven-star hotels. 

Also, the rising disposable incomes and the increasing demand in home ownership are also among the factors that are boosting the growing demand in the mattress market.

Furthermore, the rising disposable incomes of consumers have been projected to boost the mattress market demand over the forecast period, along with an increase in homeownership. The increasing demand from the real estate industry to serve the housing requirements has resulted in a rise in the sale of home furniture such as mattresses, pillowcases, and bed linen, thus, aiding in the market growth.

Moreover, the mattress market share is witnessing expansion in developed nations, driven by robust marketing strategies like discounts, offers, and sales, which are expected to bring further stability to the market. The availability of different mattress sizes and types, to suit the demands of the consumers is also driving the market growth further, a situation that is also evident in emerging market economies.

All these factors are believed to be making tremendous impact on the growth of the mattress industry in the African continent, an opportunity the Dolidol Group as a foam mattress giant is making remarkable progress to appropriate.

Founded in 1972 by the Berrada family in Morocco, the Dolidol Group has become a prominent leader in the mattress market in Morocco, with well-known brands. It is a benchmark brand with a strong reputation for high-quality products and excellent customer service.