By Cyrus Farivar
The lone authorized Apple Center in Beirut, Lebanon, has been forced to shut its doors since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah ignited a week ago. And that store faces an uncertain future, as its owner prepares to flee the fighting.
Jean Medlej, 51, and his family will likely evacuate Lebanon at the earliest opportunity, which may come as soon as this weekend. Dual citizens of France and Lebanon, he and his family are on an embassy list awaiting evacuation.
Medlej has operated the store for two-and-a-half years and said business has been good, with iPods accounting for half of his sales. In addition to the main store in Beirut, he also has “iPod counters†inside two of the four Virgin Megastores across Lebanon. But with the country under bombardment, he says, no one is in the mood to shop for non-essential items, much less Macs and iPods.
“It’s very difficult, it’s a beautiful country, the people are nice—but, I don’t know,†Medlej said. “We’re not considering leaving forever, but there’s nothing to do here for the time being.â€
“So we might as well leave for the time being and see what will happen and we’ll definitely be back,†he added.
