As the US Dollar is exceeding 35,000 LL in Lebanon, store owners and supermarkets rush to raise the prices of goods, each according to their own, until the prices have become “imaginary”.
Accordingly, the purchasing power of a large segment of Lebanese has further decreased.
In this context, the head of the Syndicate of Food Importers, Hani Bohsali, confirmed that he had previously, months ago, demanded that goods be priced on the shelves in dollars and set an end to discretion against the consumer.
He explained, in an interview with MTV, that pricing in dollars serves the consumer more than the merchant.
Considering that when the dollar rises, the price of the goods in Lebanese pounds rises in parallel with the exchange rate of the dollar and nothing more, which closes the door on some supermarket owners who invoke the protection of their interests.
Supermarket Owners Syndicate President, Nabil Fahd, rejected the principle of pricing goods in dollars, stressing that it is in violation of the Consumer Protection Law, which requires pricing in the national currency.
He pointed out that supermarket owners buy 90% of goods from suppliers in Lebanese pounds, and the strong competition between supermarkets is what regulates pricing, limits discretion, and protects consumers.
