Thousands of workers, students and prisoners across Morocco rely on meals prepared by a company that many people may not know. OCS, which runs large-scale catering services, is set to become part of the new group formed by the coming together of LabelVie and Retail Holding. OCS generates around 1.3bn dirhams in annual revenue and employs about 6,000 people. Its network of 220 kitchens prepares and delivers meals every day to universities, businesses, banks, industrial sites and prisons.
The company provides meals to between 25,000 and 30,000 prisoners, out of a total prison population estimated at around 60,000.
Riad Aissaoui, chief executive of Retail Holding, shared these figures with the editorial team of Le Nouvelliste during its new programme, On peut se tutoyer.
OCS operates several brands, including Ensemble, Proxirest and Artis. Its clients also include higher education institutions such as Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, as well as public and private organisations.
Collective catering accounts for around 80% of OCS’s business. The remaining activities include facility management services, mainly cleaning and security, which represent between 15% and 20% of its operations.
The company generates more than 100m dirhams in annual earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA), alongside its 1.3bn dirhams in revenue, according to figures provided by group executives.
OCS could also help the new group reduce purchasing costs and strengthen its supply chain. The company spends around 850m dirhams a year buying food products, creating an opportunity to combine its purchasing power with LabelVie’s sourcing and distribution network.
The integration brings together two different but complementary activities: large-scale catering and commercial retail. The expanded group will operate across institutional food services, food retail and textiles, while also providing cleaning and security services through OCS.
