Asmara Holdings Group

Name

Asmara Holdings Group

Legal name

Asmara Holdings Limited

Website

https://asmaraholdings.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diversified Conglomerate

NAICS

Other Chemical and Allied Products Merchant Wholesalers (42469)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Chemicals & Allied Products (5160), Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Wholesale/B2B Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Membership Wholesale Clubs (B2B & B2B2C) (CRAEAEAB)

Keywords

• Diversified conglomerate operations
• FMCG manufacturing distribution
• Commodity trading wholesale
• Hypermarket retail chains
• Ship chandling catering

Headquarters

HQ city

Dubai

HQ country

United Arab Emirates

HQ region

Middle East

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Trading & Distribution: General trading and distribution of commodities (sugar, wheat, rice, corn, milk powder, edible oil, coffee) and FMCG products (packaged/canned food, fresh produce, frozen goods, pet food, home/personal care items), electronics, electrical materials, appliances, and construction materials
2. Manufacturing: Manufacturing of Food & Beverage Products, Paper & Pulp Products, Hygiene Products, Home Care, Personal Care Products, washing powder, baby diapers, and tissue products. USD 500 million investment in Angolan factories; USD 70 million washing powder factory commissioned Q2 2021
3. Retail - Hypermarkets: Operation of hypermarket chains under Africana Discount brand in Angola, with 12 stores averaging 6000 sqm sales area. Privatization of Angola's largest supermarket chain KERO. Expansion plans for hypermarket chains across African markets
4. Hospitality: Hotel ownership and operation including 4-star and 5-star properties in Africa with expansion into Europe. Construction of hotels, shopping and entertainment complexes with theme parks
5. Real Estate: Property development, shopping malls, retail spaces, residential properties, and hospitality leisure projects across Africa and Middle East
6. Ship Chandelling & Catering: Supply services for offshore vessels including food and supplies provision to Oil & Gas companies. Facility management for staff camps and accommodations. Nearly two decades of service in Angola with expansion to Mozambique
7. Oil & Gas Services: Chemical supply and management for oil and gas fields including specialty chemicals, custom blending, and water/wastewater treatment chemicals for crude oil and natural gas production, drilling, and pipeline systems
8. Chemical Trading: Chemical trading including lubricant additives, paints and coatings, rubbers, polymers, cosmetics ingredients, construction chemicals, and food/pharmaceutical raw materials
9. Pharma and Medical: Pharmaceutical trading in East Africa region for essential medicines, vaccines, and healthcare products distribution
10. Construction: Construction services for own projects including hotels, office buildings, shopping malls, residential complexes, and manufacturing facilities

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Asmara Holdings Group is a diversified international conglomerate managing more than twenty business units that trade and distribute commodities and FMCG products, manufacture fast-moving consumer goods (washing powder, diapers, tissue, paper and pulp, food and beverage, hygiene and personal care products), operate Africana Discount and KERO hypermarket chains in Angola, run ship chandelling and catering services for offshore oil and gas vessels, develop real estate and hospitality properties, supply specialty chemicals to oil and gas operators, and distribute pharmaceuticals across East Africa. The group combines B2B direct trading and industrial services with B2C retail and hospitality, vertically integrating FMCG manufacturing with own-brand hypermarket distribution.

Product overview

Asmara Holdings Group is a diversified multinational conglomerate headquartered in Dubai, UAE, with over five decades of experience managing more than twenty business units. The company operates across multiple segments including: Trading & Distribution (commodities such as sugar, wheat, rice, corn, coffee; and FMCG products), Retail (Africana Discount hypermarkets and KERO chain in Angola with 12 stores averaging 6000 sqm each), Manufacturing (Food & Beverage, Paper & Pulp, Hygiene, Home Care, Personal Care products, washing powder, baby diapers, and tissues with USD 500M+ invested in Angola and Congo), Hospitality (4-star and 5-star hotels), Real Estate, Construction, Ship Chandelling, Pharma & Medical, Chemical products, and Oil & Gas services. The group's Okapi International General Trading FZE subsidiary handles general trading and chemical sales in UAE. The portfolio spans Africa, Middle East, and Asia with operations in over 20 international locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Africana Discount: Hypermarket chain brand operating in Angola's retail landscape with two fully operational hypermarkets and plans for three more by end of 2025.
• KERO

Products and services

• Commodity and FMCG Trading & Distribution International trading and wholesale distribution of commodities (sugar, wheat, rice, corn, milk powder, edible oil, coffee) and FMCG products (packaged/canned food, fresh produce, frozen goods, pet food, home/personal care items), electronics, electrical materials, appliances, and construction materials for B2B distributors and buyers across Africa, the Middle East, USA, and Asia.
• FMCG Manufacturing (Food & Beverage, Paper & Pulp, Hygiene, Home Care, Personal Care) Manufacturing of Food & Beverage Products, Paper & Pulp Products, Hygiene Products, Home Care Products, and Personal Care Products at state-of-the-art factories in Angola, as part of the group's USD 500 million manufacturing investment to supply local and regional markets and reduce import dependence.
• Washing Powder Production (Angola) First washing powder factory in Angola, a state-of-the-art facility with USD 70 million investment commissioned in Q2 2021, producing world-class washing powder products for the Angolan and regional market.
• Baby Diaper and Tissue Manufacturing (Congo) Baby diaper and tissue manufacturing unit launched in Congo in 2022, marking the expansion of the group's manufacturing capabilities into Central Africa and supplying hygiene products to regional markets.
• Africana Discount Hypermarkets Hypermarket chain under the Africana Discount brand operating in Angola, with two fully operational hypermarkets and plans for three additional stores by end of 2025. Stores average 6,000 sqm of sales area and sell packaged food, canned goods, fresh produce, frozen items, pet food, and home and personal care products.
• KERO Hypermarket and Supermarket Chain Angola's largest supermarket and hypermarket chain, privatized by Asmara Holdings Group through tender, operating 12 stores averaging 6,000 sqm of sales area with approximately 3,000 employees, serving as a flagship B2C retail channel for the group's manufactured and distributed FMCG products.
• Ship Chandelling and Catering Services Provision of top-quality food, supplies, and catering to hundreds of offshore vessels for oil and gas companies operating in Angola, with nearly two decades of established relationships and expansion into Mozambique.
• Facility Management Services Management of staff camps and accommodations for oil and gas sector companies, complementing ship chandelling services in Angola and Mozambique.
• Pharmaceutical and Medical Trading Pharmaceutical trading operations in East Africa region promoting public health through availability and accessibility of essential medicines, vaccines, and healthcare products to distributors, pharmacies, and public health entities.
• Chemical Products and Trading Chemical trading covering lubricant additives, paints and coatings, rubbers, polymers, cosmetics ingredients, construction chemicals, and food and pharmaceutical raw materials for B2B buyers in industrial markets across UAE, Angola, USA, Africa, and Asia via Okapi International General Trading FZE.
• Oil & Gas Specialty Chemicals and Water Treatment Specialty chemicals, custom blending, and water/wastewater treatment chemicals supplied to oil and gas operators for crude oil and natural gas production, drilling, enhanced oil recovery, and pipeline systems, along with associated performance chemicals and equipment.
• Hospitality and Hotels Hotel ownership and operation including a 4-star hotel and a 5-star hotel inaugurated in 2017 in the African region, serving as a prime destination for high-level government and business functions, with ongoing construction in Soyo and Cabinda provinces of Angola and a hotel, shopping and entertainment complex with theme park in Zambia.
• Real Estate Development Real estate development spanning properties, shopping malls, retail spaces, residential properties, and hospitality leisure projects across UAE, GCC markets, and Africa, for property investors, developers, and end-users seeking quality construction and innovative design.
• Construction Services Construction services for hotels, office buildings, shopping malls, residential complexes, and manufacturing facilities across Africa and the Middle East, leveraging in-house engineering capabilities for both the group's own developments and external clients.
• Agroindustry and Farming Agricultural operations and farming activities forming part of the group's diversified business portfolio, supporting sourcing of agricultural inputs and products across international markets.

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Okapi International General Trading FZEcoreOthers · 1 January 2011Parent company subsidiary established in 2011 in Jebel Ali FZE, UAE. Operates import/export services, chemical sales, and wholesale business across UAE. Serves customers in Angola, USA, Africa, and Asia with monthly shipments processing from local and international markets
• Eriango General Trading LLCminorOthersSister company operating under the Asmara Holdings Group umbrella for general trading activities
• Multi ContinentminorOthersSister company operating under the Asmara Holdings Group umbrella for diversified trading activities

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• ARKO Group: UAE-anchored conglomerate with significant African fuel and convenience retail presence and growing FMCG distribution — comparable in regional focus, multi-country operations, and retail/trading diversification.

Direct peers

• Lulu Group International: UAE-based hypermarket and retail conglomerate with extensive FMCG trading, processing, and manufacturing operations — closely comparable to Asmara's combination of owned hypermarket retail (Africana Discount, KERO), commodity trading, and in-house FMCG manufacturing.
• Massmart Holdings: South African wholesale and retail group (Game, Makro, Builders Warehouse) — comparable to Asmara's wholesale trading and hypermarket retail model serving African consumer and B2B customers.
• Bakhresa Group: Tanzania-headquartered diversified conglomerate with food and beverage manufacturing, commodity trading, and logistics across East Africa — closely mirrors Asmara's FMCG manufacturing, commodity trading, and multi-country African footprint.
• Landmark Group: UAE-headquartered conglomerate spanning hypermarket and fashion retail, hospitality, and FMCG — directly comparable to Asmara's vertical integration across FMCG manufacturing, hypermarket retail, and hospitality across emerging markets.
• Shoprite Holdings: Africa's largest food retailer with multi-country supermarket operations — directly comparable to Asmara's hypermarket retail strategy (Africana Discount, KERO) and pan-African FMCG distribution ambitions.
• Al Futtaim Group: UAE-headquartered diversified conglomerate operating retail (Carrefour franchise), automotive, real estate, and trading — directly comparable to Asmara's mix of hypermarket retail, FMCG distribution, and diversified industrial operations anchored in the Gulf.

Regional players

• Naivas: Kenya-headquartered supermarket chain with growing East African footprint — comparable regional player to Asmara's Africana Discount and KERO retail brands in the East/Southern African hypermarket category.

Broad incumbents

• Al Ghurair Group: Long-established UAE diversified conglomerate in foods, real estate, construction, and trading — directly comparable to Asmara's diversified conglomerate structure across FMCG, real estate, construction, and commodities.
• Bidvest Group: South African diversified services and distribution conglomerate spanning FMCG, freight, commercial products, and financial services — comparable breadth of business units and emerging-market operating context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asmara-holdings

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asmara Holdings Group