After Moroccan Minister's comments, BIM says 85% of goods it sells in Morocco are local

After Morocco’s Trade Minister Moulay Hafid Elalamy criticized it, Turkey’s discount retailer BIM said, Wednesday, that most of the goods it sells are produced in Morocco, Reuters reports.

«We are sending only around 15% of our products sold in Morocco from Turkey. The rest, 85% are bought from local producers», BIM's chief financial officer Haluk Dortluoglu said.

Dortluoglo said that BIM’s stores in the Kingdom employ 3,000 people, mostly Moroccans. He explained that the 500 stores BIM owns in Morocco «constitute 5% of its total revenue».

«We have increased purchase from local producers in Morocco over time and will continue to do so», Dortluoglu added.

Earlier this week, Elalamy stormed against the Turkish discount retailer, urging it to «raise the proportion of local goods it sells in the country to at least half or face a shutdown».

Elalamy’s comments come as Morocco is planning to review its free trade agreement with Turkey. The latter was signed in 2004.