‘95% of Tangier's textile production is absorbed by Inditex’

The textile and clothing sector plays an important role in the Moroccan economy, especially in the northern region. Yassine Arroud, president of the Moroccan Association of Textile and Clothing Industries, answered Atalayar's questions. 

When was the association founded?  

The association has been in existence for more than 60 years and focuses on the textile and clothing sector. The aim of its foundation is to defend the sector and its interests, to monitor the operators and actors in the sector, as well as to improve and develop the sector. As you know, the textile sector is experiencing great progress in terms of modernisation and mechanisation, in line with global fashion. 

How many members do you have in the association?  

We have more than 500 members at national level and 240 companies operating at regional level in the textile sector. Clothing and textile in Morocco are highlighted in the Tangier-Fez-Casablanca triangle, although most of the factories are in Casablanca and Tangier, employing more than 240,000 people. Of this figure, the Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima region takes the lion's share, with almost 46.5% of the workforce, while the remaining 53.5% is distributed among the other regions: Casablanca Settat, Fez Meknes and Rabat Kenitra. 

What development prospects do you foresee for this sector in the North? Have sales increased in recent years? 

The sector is experiencing a remarkable development and a strong dynamism. It is a sector that accompanies and is on a par with European fashion. Tangier is distinguished by what is called ‘fast fashion’, a sector in which we have made great progress: the model arrives on Saturday or Monday and we load the goods during the week or at the end of the same week at the latest. We are also aware of e-commerce and we update the sector according to new developments in commerce, especially in Spain. 

As is well known, Tangier is identified by the characteristic of the single customer: between 90 and 95 % work with a single customer, which is Inditex. We are grateful to them and we are happy to work with a company that generates many jobs in the northern region of Morocco. 

As far as exports are concerned, is Spain the only importing country or are there other countries with which the north works?  

The textile sector in the northern part of Morocco is open to several countries, but our main client is Spain. We have German, British, French and Portuguese clients. However, most of them go to Inditex. Inditex has many shops all over the world: in the Americas, in Asia and in Australia as well. It is an honour for us, every time we travel, to walk into a Zara shop or another Inditex brand and find the Made in Morocco label. It is a real pleasure and we are very proud of this partnership we have with this important Spanish customer. 

How are the commercial relations with Spain?  

Trade relations are based on respect and fairness. We respect Inditex's rules and they respect our laws. Every year we are obliged to pass a social and technical audit, through which the rights of the employees and the duties of the company are examined.

We have taken a very big step with our Spanish partners in this sector and we have a good reputation in the EU countries, thanks to the rights we have and the duties we fulfil in our industrial units. In the North we have industrial units of world-class quality, equipped with the most modern techniques in the clothing and textile sector. 

How do you see the future of the textile sector in the coming years? 

There will be a very important development, because the world has become a small village where there is strong competition between the different operators in the sector. We have to face competition from countries like Turkey or Pakistan. But our strong point, our speciality, is fast fashion, quality and perfection, which allows us to stay in the lead thanks to Morocco's good reputation in this sector. In our industrial units, we also have the latest equipment and the most intelligent clothing machines that contribute to the increase in production and quality.