American Household (formerly A.H. Trading Inc.) is an established retail and manufacturing company founded by renowned Lebanese entrepreneur Atef Hazime, originally launched in Michigan, 2004. Its flagship store was later opened in Lebanon and soon enough managed to become a pivot in the manufacturing business both within the Arab region and on an international scale. In January 2020, American Household GCC was launched in the Qatar Financial Center, which now represents the official headquarter of the company. With approximately 1,000 employees, it currently provides services for the United States, Africa and the Middle East.
Hazime’s authentic visionary mission turned into a success story through American Household, whose main pillar was to optimize customer experience. By “getting more and paying less”, customers receive top-notch household products, from appliances, and fittings, to beddings, and so on, in return for a reasonable amount of money. Another key component of Hazime’s business strategy was his ability to create a great team, which made him the epitome of leadership.
Like any success story, the business has faced many obstacles time and again amidst difficult economic situations, especially in 2008, 2011, and later on in 2019. However, Hazime’s willingness to overturn the bleak reality incited him to make smart strategic decisions and eventually get his way around it. In fact, his motto was and will always be “my greatest glory is in rising every time we fall”, for he perceives failure as an inevitable stage on the road to success.
In addition to the company’s ongoing profits, American Household reveals another facet, a humanitarian one. Indeed, it was the main sponsor for the famous renovation TV Show Dalia w al Taghyir, later becoming Dalia w al Tajdid. The store would provide families in need with all the furniture and other necessary household products, in addition to covering tuitions and granting financial aid to students who were short on resources.
History
2004-2007: Early History
The start of Atef Hazime’s pioneering business goes way back to 2004 when he took the leap to open his first-ever American Household in Detroit, Michigan. Hazime was a young man with a big vision; he was unceasingly on the lookout for bigger goals. He used to look over department stores all around America and was really intrigued by the manufacturing and retail business, for he was highly fond of the acclaimed American Businessman and owner of the retailers Walmart and Sam's Club, Sam Walton, his source of inspiration. Inspired by Walton’s journey, which entailed a lot of ups and downs, Hazime opened a small wholesale company in a warehouse in Detroit. He would bring all the products and inventory from big companies and sell them through his department. The early-staged business covered very selective items, mainly beddings and linen. After a while, it started growing bigger and the list of items was becoming more categorized and diverse.
As of early 2005, the company has begun manufacturing its own products in China and shipping them all over America, in addition to the Middle East and Africa.
2008-2018: Expansion in Lebanon
In 2008, after the US market saw a downturn and went into recession, the company lost a ton of money, so Hazime resorted to expanding its business abroad. By 2011, the first American Household department store was officially launched in Verdun Street, Lebanon, on the 14th of February. It started out small, but progressively gained an outstanding reputation and started recording big revenues. In time, it managed to become the fastest-growing retail store in the country and ultimately a hub for the entire region, hence proving itself to be a success.
However, in 2011 the Arab region went through times of uncertainty and havoc, amidst a series of revolutions and explosions. Beirut was no longer a safe environment for the company, to the extent that there were bombs falling right next to its location. Although businesses in the market were suffering from the circumstances and the situation was bleak, Hazime’s determination to rise above the obstacles and difficulties proved itself once again to be fruitful; he was committed to finding an alternative solution within Lebanon.
In 2016, he opted for a stand-alone building in Old Airport Road. Nonetheless, the procedure did not go as smoothly as Hazime had planned; the landlord of the premises that he was eying caused several problems and hindered the process. Hazime promptly found another building in close proximity to the previous one. However, times were not getting any easier, as banks stopped lending money, and the business eventually endured a deficiency in purchases. In light of the challenging circumstances, the company tried its best to stay afloat.
On May 11, 2018, the largest American Household store in the country with an 8000 m2 space was launched. Soon after, things started coming along and profits were eventually skyrocketing. Due to its triumph, the company was getting increasing attention from investors and was operating on a larger scale.
2019
Regional Growth
In August 2019, Maurice Tarabay, the owner of Cascada Mall, approached American Household and was highly impressed by the overall store. The acquaintance resulted in a promising partnership that was set to be a breakthrough for Hazime’s business. He undertook the expansion of the department store and his vision was fixed on entering the markets in Syria, Iraq, and Jordan, through Cascada Village. This dry port represented a pivotal milestone for the business, as it would enable the company, through an e-commerce portal, to leverage its engagement with international companies from the States and China. As extensive remodeling and construction operations began to take place, the opening date of the long-awaited partnership was set on December 25th, 2019.
Economic and Political Crisis in Lebanon
Startlingly, by the end of 2019, unprecedented events started unfolding in Lebanon. The country witnessed its most catastrophic state, overwhelmed by nationwide protests. Thousands of Lebanese took to the streets calling for change, a drastic one for the whole nation, after being triggered by unreasonable taxes imposed by the government. Much to everyone’s surprise, the situation quickly escalated, due to unceasing political corruption, to the point where it was recognized as an actual revolution, the October 17th Revolution. This resulted in an even greater crisis in the Banking Sector, which caused immense backlash from the people, especially from big investors. Business owners lost millions of dollars, including Hazime himself. His laborious work throughout his career was suddenly in downfall, to the extent that he lost about 70% of his assets. A nation whose Banking system was once trustworthy and sound was now facing disruption.
Nonetheless, Hazime’s untiring resilience and shrewdness worked in his favor once again and found the means to overcome the struggles in his country and get around the crisis. Thus, he chose to make his next business move in a country with a very stable environment. For an ambitious investor, the likes of Hazime, Qatar was the ideal destination. The latter would ultimately turn out to be a stepping stone for his business.
Current Operations Under American Household GCC
2020 – Present
Headquartering in Qatar
Arriving in Qatar in January 2020, Hazime elevated the American Household’s preeminence by launching its official headquarter in the Qatar Financial Center (QFC), American Household GCC, in Lusail City. Alongside the flagship store in Lebanon and the department in the States, and with approximately 1,000 employees, the business currently provides worldwide services, mainly for the United States, Africa, and the Middle East.
