Two sisters. One Instagram page. A business launched during lockdown. Six years later, LNKO has grown into a Moroccan eyewear brand with a network of stores across the country.
Founded in 2020 by sisters Maha and Malak Bennani, LNKO began with a simple idea: make fashionable eyewear more accessible through a direct-to-consumer business model.
The company started online during the Covid-19 pandemic, when traditional retail faced widespread disruption.
Today, LNKO combines e-commerce with physical stores, selling prescription glasses, sunglasses and other eyewear products.
Its official website currently lists 13 optical stores across several Moroccan cities, including Casablanca, Rabat, Marrakech, Fes and El Jadida, alongside additional retail stands.
For Morocco's consumer market, LNKO offers an example of how a locally founded brand can use digital channels to establish a customer base before expanding into physical retail.
From Instagram to Entrepreneurship
The Bennani sisters were familiar with the eyewear industry before launching their business.
Both had worked in their family's optical distribution company, giving them experience in a sector traditionally dominated by specialist retailers.
During the pandemic, they identified an opportunity to sell fashionable glasses directly to consumers online.
Instagram became an early channel for presenting products, developing the brand's identity and connecting with customers.
The concept gained traction.
By July 2021, LNKO had attracted more than 10,000 customers, according to figures cited by CDG Invest.
That early growth helped establish the business as more than a temporary lockdown project.
Why LNKO Moved Into Physical Retail
LNKO's development also revealed the limitations of an online-only eyewear business.
Glasses are personal products.
Customers often want to see how a frame looks, assess its comfort and receive advice before making a purchase.
The founders responded by developing a physical retail presence alongside their online operations.
Temporary stands and shopping-centre locations helped bridge the gap between digital discovery and in-person shopping.
Permanent stores followed.
The company now operates a network that combines its website, optical boutiques and other points of sale.
The strategy reflects a broader lesson in consumer retail: online channels can build awareness, but physical stores can help customers make decisions about products they prefer to try.
From Early Investment to a National Network
LNKO's expansion attracted institutional backing.
In July 2021, CDG Invest invested MAD 3 million in the company through its 212 Founders programme.
The funding was intended to help LNKO accelerate its development, strengthen its e-commerce capabilities and pursue expansion beyond Morocco.
By September 2025, a published interview with the founders described a business that had reached 15 boutiques, around 100 employees and more than 150,000 customers.
Those figures reflected the position reported at the time and should not be treated as LNKO's current audited results.
The company's current website separately lists 13 optical stores, as well as additional retail stands and points of sale. The different classifications make a direct comparison with the earlier boutique count unreliable.
What is clear is that LNKO has developed a physical retail network alongside the digital business through which it began.
Ambition Beyond Morocco
The Bennani sisters have also explored opportunities outside their home market.
LNKO launched a store in Dubai in 2022, marking an early attempt at international expansion.
In a later interview, the founders discussed the difficulties of that venture and their experience exploring opportunities in West Africa.
Their experience illustrates one of the challenges facing emerging consumer brands.
Success at home does not automatically translate into success abroad.
New markets bring different customer preferences, operating costs, distribution networks and competitive pressures.
For LNKO, developing a sustainable business in Morocco remains an important foundation for broader ambitions.
The Next Challenge Is Sustainable Growth
LNKO's story is about more than selling fashionable glasses.
It shows how two Moroccan entrepreneurs used digital distribution to enter an established consumer market, attract investment and develop a retail presence.
But expansion creates new demands.
More stores require inventory, employees, customer service and consistent operating standards.
Maintaining product quality while controlling costs becomes increasingly important as a business grows.
The next phase will depend on how effectively LNKO manages those challenges while strengthening its brand.
Its development also reflects a broader opportunity for Moroccan entrepreneurs to create consumer businesses that combine digital marketing, physical retail and a recognisable identity.
Maha and Malak Bennani began with an online idea during one of the most difficult periods for traditional commerce.
They have since built a company operating across several Moroccan cities.
LNKO started with two sisters and an Instagram page. Its next chapter will test how far a Moroccan-founded consumer brand can grow.