Lebanon Country Commercial Guide
Learn about the market conditions, opportunities, regulations, and business conditions in lebanon, prepared by at U.S. Embassies worldwide by Commerce Department, State Department and other U.S. agencies’ professionals
Select Country Guide
Selling Factors & Techniques
Last published date:

The Lebanese market is generally considered to be open and price sensitive.  Sales materials can be in English, French, or Arabic.  Many European and Asian brands have gained market shares, but Lebanese consumers value U.S. products for their quality and innovation. 

Lebanese companies usually request exclusive representational rights when signing agency agreements with foreign companies.  U.S. companies should partner with an exclusive agent to represent their products in Lebanon.  Moreover, U.S. companies should seek local legal counsel when doing business in Lebanon.  A list of local lawyers is available at the United States Embassy website at  https://lb.usembassy.gov/legal-assistance/.

Trade Promotion and Advertising

Lebanon is considered a regional hub for the advertising industry, with offices serving most of the Arab region.  Lebanon enjoys a sophisticated domestic audience and a thriving media sector.  There are eight television stations in Lebanon, over 40 printed and online newspapers, and more than 20 magazines, and more than 20 radio stations.

Television remains the favored medium of advertising and captures half of the advertising market.  Other media used for advertising include print, billboards, social media, and radio.

There are more than 12 Arabic-language dailies in Lebanon, as well as the French-language L’Orient Le Jour (L’Orient Le Jour).  Most newspapers are available primarily online.

The major trade fairs organizers in Lebanon are listed below:

  • Seaside Developments
  • Confex International
  • Hospitality Services
  • Iktissad Events
  • International Fairs and Promotion
  • Promofair
  • Forum de Beyrouth

Major business magazines include:

  • Lebanon Opportunities
  • Executive Magazine
  • Arab Ad
  • Le Commerce du Levant

Pricing

Imported goods are subject to customs duties and a value-added tax (VAT) of 11 percent.  The Consumer Protection Department at the Ministry of Economy and Trade sets the price of local Lebanese flat bread.  Other types of bread are not affected by this price control.  The Ministry of Energy and Water sets the prices of petroleum derivatives, and the Ministry of Public Health sets the prices of pharmaceuticals.  The Technical Center for Price Control at the Ministry of Economy and Trade surveys supermarket prices of consumer goods every two months.

Sales Service/Customer Support

A number of leading Lebanese companies have sales service and customer support units.  Lebanon has a Consumer Protection Law, and the Consumer Protection Directorate at the Ministry of Economy and Trade has a call-center hotline (+961 1739) to receive consumer claims.

×

Global Business Navigator Chatbot Beta

Welcome to the Global Business Navigator, an artificial intelligence (AI) Chatbot from the International Trade Administration (ITA). This tool, currently in beta version testing, is designed to provide general information on the exporting process and the resources available to assist new and experienced U.S. exporters. The Chatbot, developed using Microsoft’s Azure AI services, is trained on ITA’s export-related content and aims to quickly get users the information they need. The Chatbot is intended to make the benefits of exporting more accessible by understanding non-expert language, idiomatic expressions, and foreign languages.

Limitations

As a beta product, the Chatbot is currently being tested and its responses may occasionally produce inaccurate or incomplete information. The Chatbot is trained to decline out of scope or inappropriate requests. The Chatbot’s knowledge is limited to the public information on the Export Solutions web pages of Trade.gov, which covers a wide range of topics on exporting. While it cannot provide responses specific to a company’s product or a specific foreign market, its reference pages will guide you to other relevant government resources and market research. Always double-check the Chatbot’s responses using the provided references or by visiting the Export Solutions web pages on Trade.gov. Do not use its responses as legal or professional advice. Inaccurate advice from the Chatbot would not be a defense to violating any export rules or regulations.

Privacy

The Chatbot does not collect information about users and does not use the contents of users’ chat history to learn new information. All feedback is anonymous. Please do not enter personally identifiable information (PII), sensitive, or proprietary information into the Chatbot. Your conversations will not be connected to other interactions or accounts with ITA. Conversations with the Chatbot may be reviewed to help ITA improve the tool and address harmful, illegal, or otherwise inappropriate questions.

Translation

The Chatbot supports a wide range of languages. Because the Chatbot is trained in English and responses are translated, you should verify the translation. For example, the Chatbot may have difficulty with acronyms, abbreviations, and nuances in a language other than English.

Privacy Program | Information Quality Guidelines | Accessibility