American Household
 American Household's logo since 2004 | |
Formerly | A. H. Trading Inc. |
|---|---|
| Private company | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Industry | Retail |
| Founded 📆 | in April 2004 Michigan, USA |
| Founder 👔 | |
| Headquarters 🏙️ | Doha Qatar |
Area served 🗺️ | USA, Africa and Middle East |
Key people | Atef Hazime |
| Products 📟 | Department store |
| Revenue🤑 |  US$36.4 millions (2019) |
| US$3.1 millions (2019) | |
| US$1.8 millions (2019) | |
| Members | |
Number of employees | Over 500 |
| Parent | R. H. & Sons Inc. |
| 🌐 Website | Website URL. |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
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.[1][2] In January 2020, American Household GCC was launched in the Qatar Financial Center, which now represents the official headquarter of the company. With over 500 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, 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 an epitome in leadership.
Like any success story, the business has faced many obstacles times and again amidst difficult economic situations, especially during 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 in 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 aids to students who were short on resources.
History[edit]
2004-2007: Early History[edit]
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 the more categorized and diverse. As of early 2005, the company has begun manufacturing its own products in China and would ship them all over America, in addition to the Middle East and Africa.
2008-2018: Expansion in Lebanon[edit]
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 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[edit]
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[edit]
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 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[edit]
2020 – Present[edit]
Headquartering in Qatar[edit]
Arriving to 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 over 500 employees, the business currently provides worldwide services, mainly for the United States, Africa and the Middle East.
Establishment of American Household’s sister company: Tobacco International[edit]
After launching American Household GCC, and as Hazime was gradually compensating for his losses and regaining momentum, he was approached by one of the most legendary Tobacco manufacturers in the business; this was mainly due to having earned himself a reputable name by means of several prestigious connections in the States throughout his career. Notably, the Tobacco business was of great significance for Hazime; it was an integral part of his family’s heritage in Lebanon, dating back to the times of his great-great grandparents for over 70 years. Hazime still recalls his childhood years, when he used to observe his own grandparents working in the fields and growing tobacco. Thus, he went about to continue the legacy and managed to become a Tobacco branding pioneer in what he considered to be one of “the most challenging arenas”, hence Tobacco International came to light, a sister company of American Household GCC. It soon became the exclusive distributor for the biggest tobacco manufacturers in the world; the business has since then expanded in Turkey, North Africa, Pakistan, and South of America. The company currently operates in 32 countries and covers 7 brands.
Services[edit]
- Operation of retail, wholesale and manufacturers.
- CONSTRUCTION - All the building supplies and construction materials.
Products[edit]
- KIDS, WOMEN AND MEN CLOTHING
- SHOES
- TOYS
- BEDDING AND LENIN
- PARTY OCCASIONS ACCESSORIES
- KITCHENWARE
- INDOOR AND OUTDOOR FURNITURE
- APPLIANCES
- OFFICE FURNITURE
- HOTEL FURNITURE
- LAWN AND GARDEN
- ELECTRONICS
- LIGHTINGS
- BATH AND FAUCETS
- HEATING AND COOLING
- RESTAURANT EQUIPMENT
- DOORS AND WINDOWS
- SOLAR
- SANITARY FITTINGS
- KITCHENS
- ELECTRICAL
- CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL
- BUILDING MATERIALS
- MEDICAL SUPPLIES
International Location and centers[edit]
References[edit]
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