Mediterrania Capital Partners and the Capital Trust Group have acquired minority stakes in BS Invest in Tunisia, CAP Retail in Morocco, and Investex Algérie in Algeria.

The acquisitions were made via MC II, managed by Mediterrania Capital Partners, and Euromena III, the latest of the Euromena Funds, managed by the Capital Trust Group.

Founded in 1997, the Ben Salem Group distributes 11 leading apparel brands including Zara, Bershka, Massimo Duti, Celio, Jennyfer, Mango and LC Waikiki from six major international groups (Inditex, Celio International, Benetton Group, Punta Fa, Etam Development and LC Waikiki Mağazacılık).

The Ben Salem Group operates through a network of 76 sales outlets in the key cities of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, and employs over 1,400 people across the three countries.

The Group plans to open more than 100 stores in the coming years in shopping malls and downtowns, thus further strengthening its competitive positioning in the market.

The two investment firms are working hand in hand with the management to support the expansion strategy of the Group.

Albert Alsina, CEO and Managing Partner at Mediterrania Capital Partners, said: “We are convinced about the strong potential of the consumer market in the North Africa region and are confident that the Group is ideally positioned to reap its benefits.”

Last week, Mediterrania Capital II acquired a 43% stake in Cieptal Cars, a car rental business in Algeria.
Mediterrania Capital Partners is a dedicated private equity firm focusing on African and mainly North African growth investments in SMEs and mid-cap companies.

The Capital Trust Group has been working in private equity since its founding in 1985, and has to date raised 7 funds across 3 continents including the first ever region wide Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Private Equity Fund in 1998.