Will Rasmussen
Daily Star staff

BEIRUT: Beirut’s recent string of bombings is forcing already suffering malls and supermarkets to shell out thousands of dollars on private security or risk losing further business.
What is bad news for the city’s major malls, however, has been a boon for private security firms, who have seen business surge since a bomb ripped through a shopping mall in the northern suburb of Kaslik last week.
The security business in Lebanon is divided among some 70 small firms. An official from Protectron estimated a 25 percent jump in business since a bomb killed former Premier Rafik Hariri on February 14.
ABC Mall in the heart of Achrafieh, part of a string of Christian suburbs to the north and east of the city that have been targeted in the bomb attacks, hired 20 new security personnel to search cars and people entering the mall.
The new security force has been in place there since a bomb exploded March 22 at the Alta Vista shopping mall in Kaslik. “If we had to carry this twelve months per year it would be a big burden,” said ABC marketing manager Nada Kadri. “But at the end of the day we don’t care. For us our customers’ safety is a priority.
We never hesitated to spend the extra money.” Kadri wouldn’t divulge how much ABC has spent on security in the past three weeks, but a 10 man security force to search vehicles and people can cost up to $7000 per month.
Even after the assassination of Hariri, large malls throughout the capital resisted taking stringent new security measures until the bombs struck New Jdeideh, Kaslik, and Sad al-Boushrieh.
Even in the predominantly Shiite area of Jnah, the French department store BHV has begun searching all customers as well as cars entering the parking area.
Spinneys supermarket, which has 27 stores throughout Lebanon, has hired security officers from Future Security Company to search cars visiting branches in Beirut. Customers don’t seem to mind the added hassle. “We encourage them to take these measures to protect customers,” said Georges Elias,28, a shopper at ABC in Aschrafieh.
Elias said he felt safer during the day than at night,when the three bombs exploded last week. Going to large public places in the heart of Beirut’s Christian district, he said, added an extra fear. “We can be sure that Achrafieh will be targeted some day, we just don’t know when,” he said.
Some customers, however, said that even the rigorous car searches, which involve wheeling mirrors under cars and popping the hood to examine the engine, weren’t enough. “They’re just kids who are smiling when they put the mirrors under your car,” said Georges Chkaiban, 61, who visits ABC every day for the restaurants.“I wish they would hire a few more serious security people.”
Fear is keeping traffic down, even during the traditionally festive Easter period. Opened for just over a year, some 15,000 people visit ABC Achrafieh during an average weekday and up to 30,000 on a Saturday or Sunday, a mall executive said.
While no new figures have been released, store owners are noticing a sharp decline in business.
Some of it can be attributed to fear of venturing out, a general decline in economic optimism during a time of political upheaval, and some to wanting to avoid the hassle of long waits at the entrance to the car park. “Business is really down,” said Julie Abou Dib,who works at an optical shop in ABC, which now closes all its shops at 8 pm.“They search all the bags and the cars and this makes it harder for customers.”