Achour Group

Achour Group (Groupe Achour) is a Lebanese-origin family-owned conglomerate headquartered in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Its history begins in 1960s Lebanon, where Mahmoud Achour founded a small textile business that soon began exporting part of its production to Africa, including the DRC. After the Lebanese Civil War in the 1970s destroyed much of the family's business, Mahmoud relocated with his family to the DRC, where he had already established export links. In 1976 he founded Sokin, the group's parent company, specialising in textiles and later expanding into coffee export. Over the following decades the family diversified into transport and logistics (Transbenz), industrial baking (Pain d'Or), real estate (SEDEC), construction (Société des Travaux au Congo, STC), quarrying (Caillasse du Congo, CDC), biscuit manufacturing (PRINCE), cardboard production (CARTOMO), beverages (Industrie des Boissons au Congo, I.B.C) and hospitality (Kin Plaza Mall Arjaan by Rotana). The group is closely associated with Sattar Achour, son of the founder, who obtained French nationality in 2000 and has been active in the Franco-Congolese business community. Today the third generation of the Achour family has joined the business in Kinshasa. The group remains privately held and does not appear on any stock exchange.

The history of Achour Group begins in 1960s Lebanon, where Mahmoud Achour founded a small textile business. He soon began exporting part of his production to Africa, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo. In the mid-1970s, the Lebanese Civil War caused the loss of a major part of his business, prompting Mahmoud to leave Lebanon and settle with his family in the DRC, where he already had export operations. In 1976 he founded a new company named SOKIN, specialising in textiles and later expanding into coffee export. As business prospered, he created Transbenz, a transport and logistics company. His younger son, Sattar Achour, after completing his baccalaureate, joined his brothers in the DRC to work in the family company. In 1984 Sattar began working in Kinshasa before being transferred three years later to the port city of Matadi, where he supervised import and transport operations to Kinshasa for four years before returning to the capital. Despite disruptions in 1993 (looting), 1997 (change of power) and 1998 (August conflict), Sattar Achour persevered with his commercial activities. In 1996 he developed a bakery under the name Pain d'Or, which began production in the weeks before Laurent-Désiré Kabila's troops arrived in Kinshasa; the new baguettes were quickly nicknamed "Kabila" by the local population. In 2000 Sattar acquired French nationality and became actively involved in the French economic community in the country, helping to revive the Franco-Congolese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and participating in the creation of the "Club Français des Affaires". In 2002 he acquired the real estate company SEDEC from the Dutch group Unilever, gaining several quality buildings in downtown Kinshasa. In 2004 he launched a major luxury housing development of 101 villas with leisure and dining facilities; in parallel he developed a construction company called Société des Travaux au Congo (STC) and started a quarry named Caillasse du Congo (CDC), which supplied materials and labour for the project. Later he purchased two industrial companies in partnership with a local investor: the PRINCE biscuit factory and the CARTOMO cardboard factory. From the 2010s, in collaboration with the American group Seaboard, specialised in milling, he launched the construction of a modern large-capacity industrial bakery on the site of the former Quo-Vadis industrial bakery to replace the obsolete Pain d'Or bakery; it was inaugurated in 2012. During the same period, Achour Group partnered with a French businessman to manufacture and distribute beverages and fruit juices under the company I.B.C (Industrie des Boissons au Congo). This modern plant, fully equipped with French machinery, markets and distributes PET-bottled drinks in the country. STC completed the construction of a 101-suite "Suite Hôtel" that became part of SEDEC's real estate portfolio. This luxury hotel, attached to a shopping centre named Kin Plaza Mall Arjaan by Rotana, is located near the Chancellery of the French Embassy and has been operational since 2015. Several members of the third generation of the Achour family have recently joined Kinshasa to follow in the footsteps of their grandparents and parents.

• 2015

  Opening of Kin Plaza Mall Arjaan by Rotana, a luxury hotel and shopping centre.

• 2012

  Inauguration of a modern industrial bakery in partnership with Seaboard, replacing Pain d'Or.

• 2004

  Launch of a 101-villa luxury housing development; creation of STC and CDC.

• 2002

  Acquisition of real estate company SEDEC from Unilever.

• 2000

  Sattar Achour acquires French nationality and becomes active in the Franco-Congolese business community.

• 1996

  Development of the Pain d'Or bakery, which starts production before Kabila's troops reach Kinshasa.

• 1984

  Sattar Achour begins working in Kinshasa before being transferred to Matadi.

• 1976

  Founding of SOKIN in the DRC, specialising in textiles and later coffee export.

• 1975

  Lebanese Civil War causes loss of major part of the family business; Mahmoud decides to relocate to the DRC.

• 1960

  Mahmoud Achour founds a small textile business in Lebanon.

A diversified family conglomerate with deep roots in the DRC economy, spanning industrial, consumer goods, real estate and hospitality sectors.

• Textiles

• Coffee

• Pain d'Or bakery products

• PRINCE biscuits

• CARTOMO cardboard

• I.B.C beverages and fruit juices

• Real estate (SEDEC)

• Construction (STC)

• Quarry materials (CDC)

• Hotel services (Kin Plaza Mall Arjaan by Rotana)

1. 1Achour Group on Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Groupe Achour on French Wikipediafr.wikipedia.org