‘I can’t see Lebanon getting one percent growth’

The trade sector is a fragile creature, susceptible to the vagaries of the market and those fickle human sentiments of confidence and trust. So it is little surprise that it has endured a bit of a tossing in the wake of the political crises and economic malaise besetting the country. Executive met with Chairman of the Beirut Traders Association Nicolas Chammas to hear how he and his colleagues are weathering the turmoil.   You have just received figures for the sector’s performance over the first quarter of 2013. How are they? They show a clear downward trend in retail sales. The figures include more than 40 sub-sectors in Beirut and we have noticed for three quarters in a row a decline in retail activity. Internally we can point to the political cleavages and bickering and the security issues we face every single day and the absence of the government, which