Adopt Parfums expands footprint with store launch in Congo
The move also underlines how franchise partnerships can help international companies enter African markets through locally rooted operators.
DRC – French perfume retailer Adopt Parfums has made its debut in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with a new store at Kinshasa Mall, marking its latest step in expanding across Africa.
The outlet, launched through a franchise agreement with Naex Trading and Consulting, is situated on the mall’s third floor and gives shoppers access to a selection of more than 100 fragrances.
The Kinshasa opening extends Adopt Parfums’ African network and places the brand among a growing number of international beauty retailers building a presence in the country.
It joins brands such as Kiko Milano, Yves Rocher, and Beauty Success, which have also opened stores in the DRC in recent years.
Kinshasa, the DRC’s principal commercial hub, has become an increasingly important location for global consumer brands seeking to reach the country’s modern retail market.
Adopt Parfums already operates branded stores in Côte d’Ivoire, Madagascar, Mauritius, Morocco, Seychelles, Réunion, and Mayotte.
In Tunisia, its products are distributed through local stockists and online beauty platforms, including Point M.
The company’s expansion into the DRC therefore adds a new Central African market to a portfolio that already spans several Indian Ocean, North African, and West African locations.
Adopt Parfums positions itself as a French fragrance maker offering more than 150 perfumes alongside scented care and makeup products.
Naex Trading and Consulting was founded by Najla Kahil, who previously managed Middle East and Africa operations for French children’s clothing brand Okaïdi.
The firm describes itself as a gateway for European brands seeking sustainable growth in emerging African markets, with a particular focus on the DRC.
Adopt Parfums’ arrival comes as competition intensifies among international beauty companies for space in the DRC’s developing retail sector.
Its African presence is broader than that of several French rivals: Sephora operates across the Middle East but has no branded African stores; Nocibé has no African stores; Marionnaud is present only in Morocco; and Rituals has a travel-retail presence in North Africa but no other stores on the continent.
Meanwhile, L’Occitane maintains a significant footprint in South Africa and also operates in Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Côte d’Ivoire, and Mauritius.
Against this backdrop, Adopt Parfums’ Kinshasa store strengthens its position as one of the more widely distributed French fragrance retailers across Africa.
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