Tawfeer for Food Products announced in a press conference on Tuesday that the supermarket chain “Kazyon”—the brand name of Tawfeer—plans to inaugurate more than 100 stores across the country in 2017, as well as a total number of 1,000 branches over the next five years, targeting a nationwide expansion during the upcoming period.

“At Kazyon we seek to be the fastest expanding discounter supermarket chain to ensure that citizens obtain their daily basic needs at the best prices and with the highest quality, aiming to alleviate the financial burdens on Egyptians. We serve about 1.5m customers monthly,” said Mohamed Kharma, the CEO of Kazyon. He added that by the end of 2016, the number of Kazyon stores reached 175, and until mid-March 2017, the number of stores reached 185.

Kharma noted that Kazyon branches are currently present in 14 governorates, including Cairo, Alexandria, Beheira, Menoufiya, Beni Suef, Daqahleya, Fayoum, Ismailia, Sharqeya, Gharbeya, Qaliubiya, Minya, and Suez. The total volume of investments by Kazyon is estimated at EGP 800m and is continuously increasing, according to Kharma.

Ismail Hafez, head of marketing at Kazyon, noted that the average monthly visits made by consumers to Kazyon branches range between 1m and 2.5m.

In terms of the workforce, Hafez said that by the end of 2016, the number of employees at Kazyon reached 2,000 with an expected increase of 10,000 job opportunities in line with the expansions of the supermarket chain nationwide.

“Our future expansion plan also includes increasing the capacity of our warehouses. Kazyon owns two warehouses in the 6th of October and 10th of Ramadan cities. We are currently looking for new warehouses in the Delta and Lower Egypt,” Hafez stated.

Kazyon is one of the largest Egyptian hard discount supermarket chains in Egypt. Its first branch was inaugurated in November 2014, offering consumers the main commodities for relatively competitive prices.