Lebanese industry’s coping strategies

The climate for Lebanese industrialists is perhaps the toughest it has been since the Civil War. A combination of geopolitical turmoil, challenging economic conditions and a lack of political support are working against them. In these circumstances companies need to have smart survival strategies. Executive talked to three companies taking very different routes through these challenging days. Coping strategy 1 – Go Niche It is a brave man that establishes a factory in Lebanon in the current economic and political climate, but Marwan Malek — founder of Pharma M — isn’t one to shy away from a challenge. His small seven-man factory in Brumana opened in January and is the Middle East’s first, specifically designed to manufacture dietary supplements. Malek’s Pharma M is a relatively new company The supplements market in Lebanon is worth $120 million annually, with annual growth rates of over 20 percent for the last four years.