Rabat Advocates of the economic boycott of Israel in Morocco celebrated the intention of two international brands, H&M and Starbucks, to withdraw from the Moroccan market in the middle of this month. Many activists on social media saw this withdrawal as a result of the boycott campaign, which was launched weeks ago and included a number of international brands supporting Israel in its ongoing war on the Gaza Strip since the seventh of last October, which left more than 15,000 martyrs, most of them Of children and women.
In recent days, Moroccan media reported the news, linking it to the popular boycott campaign launched by activists opposed to the war on Gaza.
Financial difficulties and eviction
Al Jazeera Net witnessed the vacation of one of the floors of the store of the brand specializing in ready-to-wear clothing, H&M, in Rabat, and the display of goods on one floor.
According to what labor sources from a store for this brand explained to Al Jazeera Net, the reason for the closure is due to financial difficulties related to the management of the Starbucks and H&M brands in Morocco, which are owned by the Kuwaiti economic group Al-Shaya.
The sources added that this decision is linked to constraints related to the weak attractiveness of the Moroccan market for their commercial activity.
One of the workers told Al Jazeera Net that they were informed weeks ago of the company’s intention to close its branches in Morocco and terminate their contract before the end of this year.
Alshaya Economic Company, which specializes in managing and operating international brands, entered the Moroccan market in 2011 with an investment estimated at approximately $40 million, according to a statement it issued at the time, when it launched 7 international brands specialized in clothing, shoes and entertainment, namely “American Eagle,” “Next,” and “Next.” H&M, Mothercare, Pinkberry, Starbucks, then Payless.
In 2017, the group raised its capital to 566 million dirhams ($56 million), coinciding with the process of expanding and spreading its branches. However, most of these brands were gradually withdrawn, and only H&M stores and Starbucks cafes remained, according to Moroccan sources.
The same sources add that the group was forced in 2021 to reduce its capital due to the economic crisis that followed the Corona pandemic.
The group currently owns 18 Starbucks branches in Morocco, distributed among the cities: Rabat 3 branches, Casablanca 10 branches, Kenitra one branch, Marrakesh 3, and Tangiers one branch. As for the H&M brand, it has 4 stores in 3 cities: Rabat, one branch, Marrakesh, one branch, and Casablanca, two branches.
clarification
Al Jazeera Net contacted officials at the branches of these brands in Morocco to clarify the real reasons behind the closure of some branches, but without a response. The Economic Group also emailed Al Shaya to request clarifications.
The group’s spokesman explained in response to Al Jazeera Net’s questions that it is committed to its business in Morocco.
The spokesman said, “We will continue to operate H&M stores in the country, as well as constantly review our portfolio of brands to ensure that we open the right stores in locations that suit our customers.”
The same source added, “While we continue to look for opportunities to make the most of H&M’s capabilities, making some changes at the level of our stores is part of our efforts to achieve this,” and continued, “We also continue to operate all Starbucks cafes in Morocco.”
For his part, the coordinator of the Front for Supporting Palestine and Anti-Normalization, Jamal Al-Asri, considered that the economic boycott hastened the decision to close the stores of these brands, and that the company will try to cover up the real reasons for the withdrawal.
With the beginning of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip on October 7, a popular Moroccan campaign was launched to boycott brands that declared their support for Israel.
Activists circulated on social media a list of stores, shops, and restaurants concerned with the boycott, calling for them to be replaced with local store services and national products.
Carrefour stores and McDonald’s restaurants were the most targeted in the boycott after their parent companies announced the provision of food parcels and free meals to Israeli occupation soldiers, in addition to Starbucks, which attacked its workers union on the grounds of publishing a statement of solidarity with Palestine. The branches of these companies in Morocco attempted to confront the campaign. Boycott by offering attractive offers and discounts to attract customers.
W.R., a worker at a McDonald’s branch in Rabat, told Al Jazeera Net that the store she works in, which is located in one of the upscale places in the capital, was witnessing a large demand from young people in particular, but this demand has declined significantly in the past weeks since the outbreak of the war and the launch of the boycott campaign in communication Web-sites.
What is the cause of the losses?
Al Jazeera Net contacted economic expert Muhammad Al-Jadri, who ruled out that the decision to close branches of H&M and Starbucks was due to the boycott campaign that recently targeted them, noting that only several weeks have passed since the aggression on Gaza and it is difficult to assess the effects and damages resulting from this. campaign during this short period.
It is likely that the decision to close the branches was due to high customs duties and economic difficulties due to the group that owns these brands incurring large losses for a long period.
Escalation of the boycott
A number of organizations supporting Palestine organized protests in front of Carrefour stores and McDonald’s restaurants in a number of Moroccan cities.
Jamal Al-Asri says that their protest program is based on a number of foundations. In addition to condemning the aggression and calling for an end to normalization through protests and solidarity marches in all Moroccan cities, the Front and a number of civil bodies launched a campaign for the economic boycott of international companies that declared their support for the “Zionist entity.”
Al-Asri explained to Al-Jazeera Net that Moroccans organized vigils in front of these restaurants and stores in the cities of Salé, Mohammedia, Casablanca, Agadir, Beni Mellal, Meknes, Marrakesh and Tangier.
He added that the Front for Supporting Palestine and Anti-Normalization decided in its last meeting to escalate the economic boycott campaign in the period between 10 and 20 December, pointing to the launch of a campaign to cancel the contract linking the sports clothing company “Puma” to the national football team.
He said, “It is unthinkable for the national team players to declare their solidarity with the Palestinian people after the matches they play, while they wear clothes and shoes from a company that declares its support and support for the Zionist entity.”
The spokesman believes that the economic boycott is one of the important ways to support the Palestinian people, and stressed that the impact of this campaign is clear by comparing the volume of demand in the shops and stores concerned with the boycott before and after October 7th.
The spokesman pointed out that the boycott is not a new weapon for Moroccans, as they have been boycotting a number of American brands for years due to declared support for Israel, and this weapon has proven its effectiveness, as he put it.
