Starting from a simple Franprix franchise in the 2000s, Moez-Alexandre Zouari is today at the head of the Picard and Stockomani stores. It has established itself as the king of non-food discounters and is developing in parallel with its 400 mass distribution stores. Zoom on a most inspiring journey and on this empire built together, with his wife.
Moez-Alexandre Zouari is unknown to the general public, but he is beginning to establish himself in the business world and is gaining momentum in the mass distribution sector. It has in fact doubled its acquisitions, external growth operations financed thanks to its real estate assets. “We often own the store walls, which allows us to finance our growth. Our debt is under control, with very reasonable ratios”he explains to Le Monde.
In 2021, the family comes in 128th position among the richest people in France with a wealth of 800 million euros. Picard, Stokomani, Maxi Bazar, you now know who is behind these powerful discount and frozen food brands.
Moez-Alexandre Zouari: a winning duo with his wife Soraya
Moez-Alexandre Zouari was born on February 6, 1971 in France, to Tunisian parents. He is the son and grandson of biscuit and sugar merchants, so he has business acumen in his blood, especially after passing a childhood behind the counter of his mother’s textile store.
He studied business at Paris-Dauphine University. Immediately afterwards, he marries Soraya, the one who will become his right arm and his partner in all the operations he will undertake. They are indeed embarking on the development of their activities hand in hand. Moez-Alexandre Zouari is responsible for developing the network of brands, while Soraya Zouari takes care of administrative and financial matters. Parents of three daughters, major strategic decisions are made as a family in the evening in their apartment located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris.
Their first business was a Franprix, franchised, in 1998, in Ménilmontant. But what might seem like a life accomplishment to some, was just one piece of the puzzle for the couple. Moez-Alexandre Zouari is today at the head of 1,500 stores Picard, Franprix, Stockomani… His investments may seem random and not calculated, but the 51-year-old entrepreneur had everything planned, he details in World : “For twenty years, consumption was a soft underbelly. All was mid-range. C&A, mass distribution… For several years, we see a polarization of consumption, like that of society, Besideswith a fringe of the population looking for quality, excellence operational, the five-star. And another where the customer needs prices, because the purchasing power crisis creates frustration. »
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Moez-Alexandre Zouari: from franchisee to non-food discount leader
Moez-Alexandre Zouari’s priority was to launch one of the first actors in the non-food discount in France with the objective: to reach one billion euros of chiffre of affareas to short term. He also wanted to compete with Action, the Dutch brand which has established itself in France with more than six hundred stores in the country.
He started as a franchisee of the Casino group and had great ambitions. When he started with his wife, they put together a map to define all the Parisian businesses threatened with disappearance. For six months, he would give his card to the owners of these stores so that they would contact him in the event of a sale. Thanks to the help of their families, the Zouari couple managed to open five Franprix stores the first year, and five more the following year.
Antoine Aussour, their current executive director, joined them as an intern in 2003. The family then had 23 stores and 16 employees. Today, there are nearly 200. “They immediately drew me into their passion”explains the right arm for seventeen years to Capital.
The family exploited up to four hundred fifty stores of the Franprix brands, Leader Price, Monop’ or Monoprix. In 2018 business reached a peak of activitywith more than 1.5 billion euros in turnover.
A succes story not always successful for the Zouari family
During the pandemic, Moez-Alexandre Zouari tries to buy back the distributor of organic products, Bio c’Bon. However, it is ahead of Carrefour In December 2021, he attempts a new takeover. That of La Marnière, a chain of three stores which sells fresh products in Yvelines and generates no less than 50 million euros of chiffre of affareas.
Another purchase that passed under his nose, and which left him with a bitter aftertaste, was that of the Leader Price brand. When Jean-Charles Naouri, the boss of Casino, spoke to him about his desire to selling his discount food network to Aldi, Moez-Alexandre Zouari very quickly showed his desire to buy it back. Unfortunately, the sales process was already well underway. Bad news never comes alone, he must give in to Casino 198 supermarkets that he managed as a franchise for the transaction to be concluded. He quickly realized that the food sector represented a large number of constraints.
Result ? He sets his sights on non-food. In mid-2021, Moez-Alexandre Zouari decided to get in touch with Philippe Ginestet, the boss of Gifi, at moment when he makes the decision to open up the capital of his company. Unfortunately, the seller is asking too much. The entrepreneur of Tunisian origin is nonetheless determined to make his business grow and bear fruit.
The race for size declared by Moez-Alexandre Zouari
To stand out in the discount world, it is crucial to have large purchasing volumes
to be able to sell its stocks at low prices. This explains Moez-Alexandre Zouari’s desire to begin his race for size.
Moez-Alexandre Zouari contacts the channel Maxi Bazaar. He managed to buy it back on November 25, 2021 from the Naxicap investment fund. Partners. In January 2022, he holds the keys toe eighty-nine specialty stores in decoration and bazaar products and designates the general director,
Jean-Marie Pomarès, as CEO. “ When he buys companies, he does not put people of his. He looks at experiences and what people can bring, not diplomas”, explains a close family member. It also bought Stokomani, one of the pioneers of stock clearance in France, which is at the head of a turnover of 575 million euros in 2021.
Moez-Alexandre Zouari: The beginning of the Picard adventure
The Zouari family has business acumen. In January 2020, the entrepreneur acquired Picard and took back 44.5% from the brand to the fund Swiss investment company Aryzta. A year later, he went to London, without even speaking a single word in English, with only one idea in mind: to seduce the Lion Capital fund and its co-founder, Lyndon Lea. The meeting, which was supposed to last 20 minutes, exceeded two hours. Moez-Alexandre Zouari’s vision was clear, to rejuvenate Picard’s brand image. He details: “When there is no more juice, there is no point in squeezing the lemon. I propose to lift the hood of the car and work on home delivery, the offer, the rejuvenation of the clientele. »
This idea greatly appeals to investors who support it without hesitation. “It was the entrepreneur and his vision of business that appealed”explains Charles Andrez de Lazard, the only banker present during the interview, to Capital. “When you don’t have the name, you have to know how to move faster than the others,” explains the entrepreneur.
Getting their hands on Picard marks a new turning point for the Zouari family, which now benefits from more legitimacy in the economic and financial world. They also now enjoy great notoriety. Basically discreet, the Zouari have caused a lot of ink to flow following this takeover.
