Retail highs and lows

Executive sat down with the head of the Beirut Traders Association Nicolas Chammas to discuss the performance of the retail sector in 2014 and what can be done to prevent the country from entering into recession in 2015.    How would you assess the retail sector’s performance in 2014 as compared to 2013? Cumulatively, it was a very frustrating and disappointing year. The first quarter was an extension of 2013 with its negative performance. To be fair and objective, however, right after the formation of the government in the first quarter of the year, things picked up. This is because the government was a unified one, representing all parties and also because its formation led to the success of the security plan in Tripoli and the Bekaa, all of which gave consumers a sense of confidence. In Lebanon, we have great resilience and whenever the political and security conditions are