CFAO

The CFAO group is a multinational company which operates in 4 sectors of activity: Mobility, Healthcare, Consumer Goods and Technology & Energy. Its headquarter is in Sèvres (92), France. The CFAO group specialises in the sectors of motor vehicle distribution, pharmaceutical products and services, management of shopping centres and supermarkets, manufacture of fast-moving consumer goods and the new technologies and energy sector. The CFAO group manages 18 production sites in the African continent. CFAO is established in 36 African countries, in 7 French Overseas Territories, and also in Vietnam.

History :

In 1852 Charles-Auguste Verminck created Établissements Verminck. The company was established in Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone and Senegal, and specialised in the trade in cocoa, groundnut, soap, rubber, etc. As time went by, with the development of new activities, Établissements Verminck was transformed and changed its name on several occasions. In 1987 it adopted the name CFAO, which is still used today. The Group specialised at that time in the trade in food products and everyday consumer products, taking advantage of the African groundnut cultivation boom.

In 1913, the CFAO Group turned towards motor vehicle distribution and industrial production in Africa, and became the first Ford dealer to distribute the famous Model T Ford in Africa.

CFAO broadened its range of products distributed through its 400 trading posts, and invested for the first time in local production of beers and spirits, through breweries in Nigeria, Ivory Coast and Senegal. The first OTIS partnership in Nigeria was also created in this decade.

In the 1960s motor vehicle activity grew rapidly. It was supported by new relations with Japanese manufacturers (Toyota, Isuzu, Subaru, etc.) and the deployment of a multi-brand distribution in CFAO dealerships. The group diversified into the plastics sector with its first NIPEN and MIPA industrial sites, which manufactured and distributed BIC pens and shaving products throughout West Africa. This was also the time when CFAO increased its presence in the motor vehicle sector, with new establishments in East Africa and overseas.

In 1990 Pinault SA purchased the company.

In 1994 the group created a joint venture with Heineken, to manage their first breweries in the Congo, BRASCO.

In 1996 CFAO purchased SCOA and its subsidiary Eurapharma, its historical competitor in the distribution field, and the leader in the pharmaceuticals sector in West Africa.

In 2002, the CFAO Technologies division, which is dedicated to the new information and communication technologies, was created.

In 2009 CFAO was floated on the Paris Stock Market.

In July 2012 Toyota Tsusho Corporation (TTC) announced its takeover of the CFAO group, when then belonged to the Kering group (PPR), with the purchase of 97% of the group's capital.

In 2015 the group purchased Missionpharma in Denmark, and launched its Retail activities by signing a joint venture agreement with the French group Carrefour, the European leader in large-scale retailing. In December 2015 the PlaYce shopping centre was the first one to be opened in Abidjan (Ivory Coast). Since this date several stores have opened in Ivory Coast, but also in Cameroon and Senegal.

In 2016 the CFAO group was delisted from the Paris Stock Market.

The Group then stopped being a quoted company and became a 100%-owned subsidiary of Toyota Tsusho Corporation. In March 2017 CFAO was given TTC's African assets and stepped up its growth in the continent.

In 2017 CFAO purchased 51% of Maphar, a medicine production factory in Morocco and launched the Brassivoire brewery in Ivory Coast.

In 2019 CFAO opened the Multi Purpose Factory (MPF) in Ivory Coast.

In 2019 CFAO purchased the company Unitrans Motors Group, which operates one of the largest networks of motor vehicle dealerships in South Africa, with 99 sales outlets representing various motor vehicle manufacturers.

Organisation:

The CFAO Group's activity is centred around four sectors of activity

Mobility

CFAO Automotive As the historical operator in the sector, CFAO Automotive imports and sells new and second-hand cars, two-wheeled vehicles, utility vehicles, lorries and handling plant, boats and marine engines, etc. These activities are undertaken through 160 dealerships in 34 countries in Africa, Vietnam, and 3 French Overseas Territories. CFAO Production Support CFAO Production Support delivers a set of integrated solutions for the motor vehicle industry, such as production and purchase of spare parts, assembly of tyres and rims, provision of metal or chemicals, and mechanical engineering and storage services.

Healthcare

CFAO Healthcare CFAO, with its subsidiary Eurapharma, manufactures and distributes pharmaceutical and medical products and services in sub-Saharan Africa, the Maghreb and overseas. CFAO also develops diagnosis and medical care centres.

Consumer Goods

CFAO Retail Since 2015, in partnership with Carrefour, CFAO Retail has opened and manages various types of shopping centres and supermarkets in Ivory Coast, Senegal and Cameroon: Playce, Carrefour Market and Supeco.

CFAO FMCG & AGRI

From production to distribution of fast-moving consumer goods, CFAO FMCG & Agri supports large international brands in the drink, food production, plastics and cosmetics sectors. With seven production sites in West and Central Africa, CFAO FMCG & Agri has industrial manufacturing capacities.

Technology & Energy

CFAO Technology & Energy

CFAO Technology & Energy is an expert in 3 activities – Information & Communication Technologies (ICT), Lift and Energy – providing infrastructure services to companies and organisations in the private and public sectors.

Financial data

In 2019 the group has:

• 15,600 employees in 43 countries
• a turnover of 4.4 billion Euros
• 83% of sales made in Africa
• 145 subsidiaries throughout the world.

Directors

Richard Bielle is the Chief Executive Officer of CFAO Group.

Current members of the CFAO Group Board of directors :

Richard Bielle

Koji Minami

Dennis Awori

Pierre Guénant

Toshimitsu Imai

Corinne Le Goff

Olivier Marzloff

Momar Nguer

Alain Pecheur

Sylvie Rucar

Yasuhiko Yokoi

CFAO

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