While information to the contrary had been relayed by several media outlets in recent days, the Alashaya group, owner of Starbucks and H&M, has denied that it is about to leave Moroccan territory. Closures are not out of the question, but would have nothing to do with the boycott campaign targeting the two brands, which are accused of being too close to Israel.
Will American coffee chain Starbucks and H&M clothing stores close their doors before Christmas in Morocco? That’s what several of the country’s media have been suggesting in recent days. The date of December 15 had even been put forward by some of them.
But the Kuwaiti group Alshaya, owner of the two franchises in the territory, has since dismissed rumors of an imminent departure. “We remain as involved as ever in the management of the H&M brand in Morocco,” it told Moroccan media outlet Le360.
The Alshaya group is not closing the door on potential “adjustments” concerning H&M stores. It says it will continue to “regularly review its portfolio to ensure (its) stores are present in the most appropriate locations for its customers”.
“We believe in the long-term success of the brand and remain on the lookout for opportunities to optimize its potential in the territory, which may sometimes mean making adjustments to our store network,” adds the group.
As for the Starbucks franchised cafés, they don’t seem to be affected by a closure either, at least in the near future, since the Alshaya group intends to “continue (to) showcase (them) as a whole”, reports the media outlet Le360. However, these possible changes would have nothing to do with the boycott campaign targeting the two chains, which are accused of being too close to Israel in the Middle East conflict.
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