A Young Market on the Move: Retail and E-commerce in Morocco

At a glance

Morocco's 2024 census counted a legal population of 36.8 million; 62.8% live in towns and cities, and 26.5% are under 15.
At the end of 2025 there were about 35.5 million internet users (92.2% of the population) and 59.16 million mobile subscriptions.
Card payments for e-commerce reached about MAD 18 billion in 2025, up 34%, yet cash on delivery remains the default for online orders.
China exported US$9.88 billion of goods to Morocco in 2025; Chinese car brands held 12.36% of new-vehicle sales from January to August 2026.
Modern retail is reaching into neighbourhoods: LabelVie opened 141 stores in 2025 and now runs 411, while discounter BIM has passed 1,000 stores.

Most Chinese business owners know Morocco for its car plants, its ports and the 2030 World Cup. Fewer look at it as a consumer market. They should.

The population is not huge, but it is young, largely urban and almost entirely connected. Supermarkets, discounters and online platforms are spreading into neighbourhoods and smaller cities, and Chinese cars, phones and household goods are already part of daily life.

This article covers who the Moroccan consumer is, where and how they buy, which cities to look at first, and where a Chinese SME could realistically start, with a practical entry plan at the end.

Who is the Moroccan consumer?

According to the 2024 census results published by the High Commission for Planning (HCP), Morocco had a legal population of 36.8 million on 1 September 2024, growing by 0.85% a year since 2014. The urbanisation rate is 62.8%, and Casablanca alone counts about 3.24 million people.

The age structure is shifting but still youthful: 26.5% of Moroccans are under 15, 59.7% are aged 15 to 59, and 13.8% are 60 or older. DataReportal puts the median age at about 29.8.

The economy grew by 4.9% in 2025, according to the HCP's June 2026 figures. Household consumption, however, rose only 1.2%, a clear slowdown.

Wages are moving up. From 1 January 2026 the statutory minimum wage in industry, trade and services (SMIG) rose by 5% to MAD 17.92 an hour, Le360 reported. That supports spending, but it also raises the payroll of anyone opening a shop. The demand is there; purchasing power is uneven, and price remains the first filter for many families.

Where do Moroccans shop?

Modern retail is growing fast alongside the traditional corner shop (hanout) and open markets.

Retailer	Formats	Published figures
LabelVie	Carrefour, Carrefour Market, Carrefour Express, Atacadao, Supeco	2025 revenue MAD 18.5 billion (+12.9%); 411 stores in 44 cities
Marjane Group	Hypermarkets, Acima supermarkets, Electroplanet electronics, Marjane City	About 150 stores in 30 cities; revenue above MAD 10 billion (early 2025)
BIM	Hard-discount neighbourhood stores	More than 1,000 stores; Moroccan revenue of nearly MAD 4 billion in the first half of 2026
Kazyon	Hard-discount neighbourhood stores (Egyptian)	100 stores within about a year of entering Morocco (September 2024)

Sources: Boursenews, Le360, Challenge, Bladi.

LabelVie has reaffirmed a target of MAD 28 billion in revenue by 2028. Marjane launched Marjane City, a 350 m² neighbourhood format, at the end of 2023 to take on the discounters (Bladi). In September 2026, Challenge reported that Turkish discounter BIM had passed 1,000 stores in Morocco, about 7% of its store base worldwide.

Smaller stores, closer to home, at lower prices: that is the direction of Moroccan retail. For suppliers it cuts both ways. Hundreds of new stores need reliable stock, but buyers negotiate hard on price and turnover, so margins need to be worked out before the first shipment.

How do they go online, and how do they pay?

Morocco had about 35.5 million internet users at the end of 2025, or 92.2% of the population, Hespress reported citing DataReportal. Telecoms regulator ANRT counted 59.16 million mobile subscriptions, a penetration rate of 160.65%, and an internet penetration rate of 112.59% by subscriptions (Finances News). Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram each reach more than 15 million users through advertising, which makes social media the main route to the consumer.

Online payment is growing quickly. Figures from the interbank payment centre CMI for 2025, reported by Wafir, show e-commerce card payments of about MAD 18 billion, up 34% on 2024, 21.3 million bank cards in circulation and MAD 78 billion spent on card terminals in shops (+28%).

Cash still rules, though. In an October 2026 interview with Challenge, Glovo Morocco's chief executive said cards account for only about 10% of payments in Moroccan e-commerce, and that return rates in non-food online retail can reach 30–40%. A Research and Markets report cited by Hespress sized Moroccan B2C e-commerce at about US$3.17 billion in 2025, with cash on delivery still widespread.

On the platform side, Jumia runs its Moroccan marketplace from Casablanca, and Temu entered the market in April 2024.

The lesson for sellers is that traffic is not the hard part; fulfilment is. Cash on delivery means you carry the stock before you are paid, and you pay for the delivery of every refused or returned parcel. Build delivery, collection and returns into the price, then check that a single order still makes money.

Which cities to look at first

Seven large cities hold close to 40% of Morocco's urban population, according to 2024 census figures compiled by Hespress.

City	Population (2024, rounded)	What stands out for consumer businesses
Casablanca	3.24 million	Economic capital; malls, wholesale markets and e-commerce warehouses
Tangier	1.28 million	Northern gateway next to the Tanger Med port and industrial zones
Fès	1.18 million	Historic trading city; crafts and wholesale serving the interior
Marrakech	1.02 million	Tourism lifts restaurants and retail
Salé	945,000	Joined to Rabat; large residential population and neighbourhood retail
Meknès	562,000	Regional centre with less crowded competition
Rabat	516,000	The capital; civil servants and international staff with higher spending power

Rabat, Salé and Kenitra to the north form one continuous area with a large combined population, and rents are usually lower than in Casablanca. That makes the corridor worth considering for a first shop or a warehouse. Any final choice still needs site visits, rent comparisons and footfall checks.

Case study: how BYD built a local network

The rise of Chinese cars in Morocco rests on local distribution and after-sales investment, and BYD's approach offers lessons well beyond the car trade.

BYD is represented in Morocco exclusively by the local dealer group Auto Nejma. In 2025, BYD held about 46% of the plug-in hybrid segment and about 34% of the fully electric segment, Wandaloo reported in January 2026, with the Seal U plug-in hybrid and the small electric Seagull among its models.

The more telling part is after-sales. In June 2026, Wandaloo reported that Auto Nejma had opened a 2,000 m² BYD-only service centre in Casablanca with 23 workstations, backed by MAD 4 million of equipment, alongside a new showroom in Rabat with a 1,600 m² workshop and new sites in Fès and Oujda.

Three lessons for smaller companies:

Work with an established local partner. An existing dealer or distributor brings premises, customers and credibility far faster than starting from zero.
Put service first. Consumers try a new brand when they trust that parts, repairs and trained staff are in place.
Follow the knock-on demand. Each new site needs parts, workshop equipment, fit-out and training, all of which are openings for suppliers.

Chinese brands are already there

According to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China–Morocco trade reached US$10.96 billion in 2025, with Chinese exports of US$9.88 billion, led by textiles and clothing, electronics, machinery, footwear, tea and hardware.

Cars show the change most clearly. Morocco sold 235,372 new vehicles in 2025, and Chinese brands lifted their share from 3.25% to 7.67%, according to AIVAM data reported by Bladi. From January to August 2026 that share rose to 12.36%, Le Matin reported, with BYD, MG and Chery leading Chinese passenger-car sales among some twenty Chinese brands on sale.

In phones, StatCounter data cited by Finances News gave Xiaomi about 19.5% of smartphone web traffic in Morocco, with Huawei and Oppo also present.

What changed in 2026

A China–Morocco free-trade deal is under study. Beijing has formally proposed a bilateral agreement, Industry and Trade Minister Ryad Mezzour told Bloomberg in June. Morocco is assessing the impact and has not opened formal negotiations, Morocco World News reported. Until a deal exists, Chinese goods pay standard Moroccan duties.
China's zero-tariff regime for Africa. The same report notes that since 1 May 2026 China has applied zero tariffs to imports from 53 African countries, which should help Moroccan exports to China and make two-way trade more active.
Company registration has moved online. OMPIC's DirectEntreprise platform went nationwide in March 2025 and has been used to create more than 50,300 companies, Hespress reported in May 2026. Complete files take about three days on average, and 44% of company creations in 2026 went through the platform.

Entering the market in five steps

Start with a short visit. Bring samples, meet supermarket buyers, wholesalers and potential partners, and note shelf prices and payment terms.
Check duties and product rules. Confirm the duty rate for your HS code and the standard 20% VAT. Since February 2020, certain industrial products must be inspected in the exporting country by Applus Fomento, Bureau Veritas or TÜV Rheinland and carry a certificate of conformity, declared through the Portnet platform, according to Finances News.
Choose your model. Supplying a local distributor, setting up your own trading company or opening a shop depends on your category, budget and whether someone will live in Morocco.
Set up the company and bank account. Licensed lawyers and accountants handle registration, banking and tax filings; plan early how capital will be transferred from China.
Test small, then scale. Keep the first order modest, watch sell-through, returns and collections, then decide on more stock or more shops.

The challenges

The opportunity is real, and so are the hurdles.

Purchasing power varies widely, and household consumption grew just 1.2% in 2025, so pricing has to match local incomes. Import costs add up: VAT is generally 20%, and according to customs guidance reported by Medias24 in 2022, clothing and textiles from countries without a free-trade agreement face duties of around 40%; rates must be checked product by product. Cash and the informal sector remain large, and cash on delivery brings slow collection and refused parcels.

Marketing works in French and Arabic, including Darija, not in Chinese. Competition from established retailers, fast-growing discounters and cross-border platforms leaves little room for a pure low-price play. And with the minimum wage rising, staff costs belong in the budget from day one.

What it means for Chinese businesses

Import and distribution: home goods, hardware, small appliances, clothing and footwear, starting with wholesale and supply to supermarkets and neighbourhood shops.
Retail shops: general merchandise, discount stores and phone accessories in Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier or Kenitra.
Restaurants: Chinese food and tea drinks still have room in the main cities, subject to food licences and halal requirements.
Electronics and car after-sales: as more Chinese phones and cars are on the road, demand for repairs, parts and service grows with them.
E-commerce and logistics: local warehousing, cash-on-delivery collection, returns handling and social-commerce operations all support online growth.

Questions to answer before you invest

What duty applies to my product, and does it need a certificate of conformity?
What do similar products sell for at BIM, Carrefour or on Jumia?
Who receives the first shipment, where is it stored, and how long until I am paid?
Does someone need to live in Morocco, and how will residence and hiring be handled?

A sensible first step is a short market visit to check duty rates for your product category and the terms offered by local channels, before choosing between a trading company, your own shop or a local distributor.

Sources

Information as of November 2026, for general reference only; not investment advice.

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