Black Friday sales near but does anyone in Lebanon care as ‘Black Year’ bites?

Black Friday sales near but does anyone in Lebanon care as ‘Black Year’ bites?

Black Friday 2020 is normally one of the busiest times of the year but retailers in Lebanon fear the worst.

The offers are here, but will the customers come? This is the question that shop owners are asking on the eve of the event in light of the economic crisis and the collapse of the Lebanese purchasing power in conjunction with the ongoing general lockdown to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Rising unemployment and salary cuts, combined with inflation and the spread of coronavirus, have left many households struggling to cope

Major retailers in Lebanon temporarily shut down in the face of an increasingly volatile currency market and their inability to set prices while the Lebanese pound plunges against the dollar.

Some retailers opted for online as its in line with the social distancing measures and general lockdown that Lebanon has imposed since November 14 and which is due to end on November 30.

There was a time, when Black Friday meant physically going to a store to shop, while Cyber Monday was exclusively for online deals. Now, most deals offered through the Black Friday sale period are available online, in light of lockdown.

Samir Saliba, owner of sportswear retailer Mike Sport, told Arabian