Grace Ashiru
Algerian super app Yassir has acquired the Uno hypermarket chain from conglomerate Cevital Group, marking a significant push into brick-and-mortar retail. The stores are being rebranded under the new name “Yassir Market,” with the flagship location at the Bab Ezzouar shopping centre in Algiers set to reopen during Ramadan 2026.
The move fills a gap left by Jumia’s retreat from grocery and hypermarket retail in North Africa, and signals Yassir’s ambition to build a hybrid shopping experience that fuses the convenience of its digital platform with a physical store network. The company, whose name means “easy” in Arabic, was founded by Noureddine Tayebi — a Stanford PhD and former Silicon Valley engineer who returned to Algeria in 2016 to build the country’s tech ecosystem from the ground up.
Yassir’s super app already spans six countries and more than 50 cities, serving over ten million users across services that include ride-hailing, food and grocery delivery, parcel logistics, e-commerce, mobile top-ups, bill payments, and event ticketing. The platform supports more than 200,000 partners — drivers, couriers, merchants, and wholesalers — and has raised approximately $193 million in total funding from backers including Bond, Y Combinator, DN Capital, and WndrCo.
With the Uno acquisition, Yassir is integrating physical retail directly into that ecosystem. Existing stores will be renovated, additional outlets acquired, and new convenience-format locations opened. The product mix is being expanded to include premium goods, beauty corners, chocolateries, bakeries, fast food counters, and catering services. A white-label private brand is also in the pipeline.
On the payments side, transactions at Yassir Market will be processed through Yassir Cash — the company’s digital wallet backed by a network of over 5,000 agents — while traditional payment methods will remain available. Customers will also be able to earn and redeem points through Yassir+, the platform’s existing loyalty programme.
Beyond individual stores, Yassir is developing a B2B logistics layer designed to handle bulk deliveries for institutional clients, including embassies and large corporations, building on the last-mile infrastructure already embedded in its online delivery operations.
For Tayebi, the acquisition is consistent with a long-held vision: to simplify daily life for consumers across the region while advancing financial inclusion through an integrated, technology-driven ecosystem. “With Yassir Market,” he said, “we want to bring technology into retail.”
