Summer is at the corner, and we're buckling up for our supermarket necessities.

On Monday, the 20th of June, Lebanese will be waking up to new discount campaigns by “Tawfeer Supermarket,” entitled “Weekly Specials.” These campaigns will hold promotions on most of the store's products in which certain sales have reached a 70% off the original price. These discounts are distributed among home appliances, food, and beverages.

In context, Tawfeer Supermarket has published the new prices, promotions, and discounts that the stores will have on different kinds of products on their Facebook page.

" We've been working on this campaign for the past three months. Being one of the few establishments in Lebanon to start this kind of campaign makes us filled with a lot of content and pride. There is nothing more valuable than a sense of community and empathy," says Mr. Rami Bitar, CEO of Tawfeer Supermarkets. "This was set as a form of encouragement and support for citizens and residents who, for the most part, are currently incapable of buying several products," continues Rami Bitar. This comes after an economic recession that infiltrated Lebanon for the past two years and is still ongoing.

He also affirmed that “a marketing and economic mindset that is primarily built on the aspects of giving and the culture of benefitting both sides is the main pillar of success.” From here, Bitar asserts that his profit will not be about his stores’ revenue. It is instead through the massive recognition that the Tawfeer Supermarket stores have gained.

"It is the kind of approach that uplifts the spirits of citizens from one side and re-establishes the stores’ recognition from the other."

“We did not bother to invest heavily in advertising or launching events,” says Mr. Rami Bitar, CEO of Tawfeer Supermarkets. “Every time a staff greeted our customers with a genuine smile or sought after their needs, every time the client found exactly what they were looking for and had a seamless experience, they became our brand ambassadors,” continued Mr. Bitar. “This company ethos, to always put our foot forward, is not merely a business strategy. It has long been a generational attribute to the Bitar Holding since the moment it was founded in 1943 by our father”, continues Rami Bitar.
While many were confident this chain would fail because of the discernible snobbery about discount stores, Tawfeer focused on improving its value proposition and expanding rapidly to over 20 stores nationwide.
Its business model proved desirable to the public and profitable to its stakeholders and investors. This success story inspired many others to open their chains and disseminate the discount store culture. It has also renewed a sense of competition with traditional supermarket chains that have lost some of their market share to Tawfeer stores. The perception that you can only find certain items and have a modest in-store experience is no longer the case.
“We welcome the advent of other stores to come,” said Rami Bitar. “We can live quite happily knowing that we’ve inspired a generation of entrepreneurs to serve better the Lebanese customer while retaining the biggest market share.”