The Abraaj Group Invests In Fast-Growing Moroccan Chocolate Confectionery Manufacturer Kool Food

Investment will consolidate Kool Food's market-leading position in Morocco and enhance its international expansion plans

Casablanca, Morocco, 16 April 2014: The Abraaj Group ('Abraaj' or 'The Group'), a leading investor operating in global growth markets, today announced the acquisition through one of its Funds of a stake in Kool Food, a leading Moroccan chocolate confectionery manufacturer based in Casablanca

Kool Food was founded in 2010 by entrepreneur Anas Lahlou and specializes in developing, producing and selling chocolate confections, powder drinks as well as other sweet and salted food products under its own brand. Kool Food offers several categories of products which are sold locally as well as exported to countries in the Maghreb region, including Algeria and Tunisia. The company is one of the few chocolate-based product manufacturers in the region targeting the fast-growing mass consumption market with affordable products.

Abraaj will draw on its significant investment expertise and strong networks across the MENA region to consolidate Kool Food's market-leading position in Morocco and advance its international distribution strategy. The Group also will seek to enhance Kool Food's offerings with new products in the near term and additional complementary products in the medium term through financing an ambitious investment program. Abraaj, which invests with a rigorous approach to sustainability, will assist Kool Food in its continuous efforts to meet advanced social and governance standards in the business.

Tarek Kabil, Partner at The Abraaj Group, said: “Kool Food is well-positioned in the Middle East and North Africa region as a successful local producer of quality chocolate confectionery products affordable to the region's burgeoning consumer classes. By building out Kool Food's current product offering with attractive new products and extending its pan-regional distribution, Abraaj will catalyze the company's growth into one of the leading chocolate confectionery players in the region.”

Anas Guennoun, Director at The Abraaj Group, added: “Our investment in Kool Food marks our third investment in Morocco since 2012, and aligns with our strategy of seeking strong, well-managed companies in the high-growth FMCG sector. We see significant upside potential in Morocco, across multiple sectors, and this investment offers another opportunity for Abraaj to capitalize on this attractive market.”

Anas Lahlou, Founder and CEO of Kool Food, said: “Partnering with Abraaj will accelerate Kool Food's growth, building on our hard work over the last four years to develop this company into a leading confectionery brand recognized for making popular chocolate products. We are extremely excited about the opportunity to take Kool Food to the next level and look forward to working with the Abraaj team.”

About THE ABRAAJ GROUP

The Abraaj Group (“Abraaj” or “the Group”) is a leading private equity investor, purpose-built for operating in the growth markets of Africa, Latin America, the Middle East, South Asia, South East Asia, Turkey and Central Asia.

Employing over 300 people, Abraaj has over 25 offices spread across six regions with hubs in Istanbul, Mexico City, Dubai, Mumbai, Nairobi and Singapore. The Group currently manages US$ 7.5 billion across more than 20 sector and country-specific Funds, encompassing private equity and real estate investments.

Abraaj has returned c. US$ 4.2 billion to investors from over 70 full and partial exits, and Funds managed by the Group currently have holdings in over 140 partner companies across 10 sectors including consumer, energy, financials, healthcare and utilities.

The Group is committed to the highest environmental, stakeholder engagement and corporate governance standards and is a signatory to the United Nations-backed Principles for Responsible Investment and the United Nations Global Compact. Abraaj's founder, Arif Naqvi, was appointed to the United Nations Global Compact Board by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in 2012.

This publication is issued by Abraaj Capital Limited (“ACLD” or the “Firm”), a member of The Abraaj Group that is authorised and regulated by the Dubai Financial Services Authority (“DFSA”). Several Group members are regulated by a number of international regulatory authorities including the DFSA under whose rules ACLD has issued this publication.