Yassir, a North African on-demand daily services such
as ride-hailing, payment, and food and grocery delivery company, entered a rapid-acquisition phase this month, acquiring a programmatic and trading desk technology
company, as well as a grocery-store chain to build a retail media network (RMN).
The company acquired Uno — a retail chain that combines a supermarket and a department
store — from the Cevital Group in early March.
This week, Yassir also announced the acquisition of Kawarizmi, a Paris-based ad-tech firm and programmatic trading desk.
The
first step will be creating a hybrid retail technology experience that bridges online with physical stores.
By integrating Kawarizmi’s programmatic technology, Yassir can pull in its
consumer data by offering targeted advertising in its app and across external digital channels like the open web and connected TV (CTV).
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The story should sound somewhat familiar. It is not
entirely unusual and seems to have become a trend.
Typically, it's the grocery chain that creates its own internal retail media network. One example shows it in reverse — when Amazon
acquired Whole Foods in August 2022 for around $13.7 billion and then built a retail media network.
Kawarizmi specializes in data-driven media buying across Europe, Africa, the Middle East,
South Asia and global diaspora audiences.
Companies are evolving into retail media platforms, but few have moved from tech company into grocery store chain.
"In the U.S. we've seen this
with companies like Uber, DoorDash or Instacart," said Hakim Hattou, founder and CEO at Kawarizmi Group. "What's interesting with Yassir is that a similar dynamic is starting to emerge across North
Africa and parts of the Middle East." Hattou declined to describe next steps for him and whether his plan is to remain with the combined companies.
Hattou did describe next steps for the combined
companies, such as integrating Kawarizmi’s programmatic infrastructure with Yassir’s consumer ecosystem to build a retail media and advertising platform across search, display,
video, and other media while continuing to operate across the open web and CTV for international brands.
When asked whether the two companies have an overlap in clients, he said that is
"very limited." Kawarizmi mainly works with international brands and agencies looking to reach high-growth audiences across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and diaspora markets, while
Yassir brings a large consumer platform and first-party data across its mobility, delivery and financial services ecosystem.
The idea is to combine Yassir’s scale and data
with Kawarizmi’s programmatic and media expertise. The integration of Kawarizmi will allow Yassir to build a scalable retail media network across its app ecosystem, monetize first-party data
through privacy-first programmatic infrastructure, expand international brand partnerships across Europe, MENA and Africa, and develop a regional adtech stack with global ambitions Kawarizmi will
continue to operate as a specialized programmatic entity within the Yassir group, reinforcing its presence in EMEA.
Yassir now operates in more than 65 cities and serves more than 10
million users across its mobile, delivery and financial services ecosystem.
Kawarizmi will officially open its Algeria office next month, which is Yassir’s largest market.