Shipping giant CMA CGM is set to acquire 100% of Fattal Group, in a major deal involving one of Lebanon’s biggest homegrown companies.
Founded over 130 years ago, Fattal has grown from a family business into a powerhouse operating across 8 countries.
Today, it stands as one of the region’s leading distribution platforms, spanning everything from consumer goods and electronics to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics.
Chances are, you’ve used something it distributes.
The group handles a long list of global brands, including Jack Daniel’s, Bacardi, Grey Goose, Corona, Oreo, Kraft, Calvin Klein, Guess, Roberto Cavalli, Dettol, Johnnie Walker, Lindt, Listerine, Oral-B, PlayStation, Hermès, Evian, Tylenol, Lipton, Unilever, Johnson & Johnson, and many more.
On the other side, CMA CGM, founded by Jacques Saadé and now led by Rodolphe Saadé, has grown into the world’s 3rd-largest shipping company.
What started as a single Mediterranean line now spans 420 ports across 177 countries, with a fleet of more than 650 vessels.
The group has also been doubling down in Lebanon. It secured a 10-year deal in 2022 to manage the container terminal at the Port of Beirut, with a $33 million investment to upgrade it. It also operates the container terminal at the Port of Tripoli and a 20,000 sqm logistics warehouse in the Bekaa.
It even acquired Al Rifai back in 2021.
The deal is expected to close in Q3 2026, pending regulatory approval.
It’s a big moment, not just for the companies involved, but for Lebanon’s business landscape, with a global player founded and operated by a Lebanese family now acquiring one of Lebanon’s most established names.
