MumsVillage, a Kenyan mother and baby care community and eCommerce platform, and Nigeria’s BabyBliss have announced a merger in a consolidation move that will see them create the Bliss Group-a Pan-African mom and baby care shops and community.
BabyBliss Nigeria brings on board its deep retail and e-commerce experience in Africa’s largest economy and and MumsVillageKenya has proven strengths in building online communities and content for pregnant women and mothers.
In a statement, Isis Nyong’o Madison, Group CEO, said, “I’m excited to lead this new entity into meeting the changing needs of African women and showing that they are indeed a market that cannot be ignored. Bliss Group will leverage on our networks, learnings and reach to convert the financial opportunity that exists into reality by delivering not just greater shareholder value for our investors but looking to build a real powerhouse with women at the helm.”
The mum and baby e-commerce opportunity currently stands at an estimated $2 billion in Kenya and $5 billion in Nigeria. With E-commerce estimated to grow at over 60% in both markets, the merger of these two brand portfolios presents a significant opportunity for synergies which will result in digitizing the parenting journey and increased investment in innovation.
The two firms will combine their operations in Kenya and Nigeria to establish an entity with a larger distribution network, a strategic brand presence, enhanced scale and efficiency, thereby increasing the range and quality of baby products and service offerings in the markets.
With an existing audience of approximately 300,000 pregnant women and mothers and COVID-19 accelerating the pace of growth of ecommerce in both markets, women are buying online at unprecedented rates. This approach aims to leverage on the diverse choice and convenience to African women along their motherhood journey.
Jika Nwobi, Nigeria CEO, said, “The BabyBliss vision has always been Pan-African, this opportunity sets us on a course to actualising that with increased momentum. We are thrilled by this merger and cannot wait to leverage the huge wealth of experience and expertise across both entities to serve our mums better while building a globally competitive African brand.”
Bliss Group mission is to empower women to make informed decisions through quality information and products they discover online. As access to the Internet grows on the continent and more women are financially empowered, the combined experience enables them to provide a great Pan-African experience for African pregnant women and mothers to make informed choices for the well-being of their families.
The Bliss Group Company will be co-headquartered in Kenya and Nigeria.
