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By Libya Herald reporters.
Benghazi, 18 January 2017:
Local staff have got their jobs back by bringing about the reopening of four internationally-branded stores in Benghazi which were finally shut in 2015 when the city centre became a battleground.
Marks and Spencer, Next, Mango and Aldo are all reopening thanks to the “faith, dedication and commitment of the management and staff to resume operations in the city” franchise owner Husni Bey told the Libya Herald. “ Such was their spirit that they left us no alternative but to support the move”.
The stores, which originally opened in 2008, were forced to close after they were looted and severely damaged two years ago. The staff were made redundant.
Bey said that the return of the outlets had become possible because of a fall in crime and the return of law and order.
“With the defeat of IS in the downtown area in 2016” he explained, “the management and staff took upon themselves the challenge of restoring, redecorating and reopening for business. Credit is due to the Benghazi team”.
Like all other businesses in the city, there are still problems with power and logistics.
“Supplies are a major challenge all over Libya, ” said Bey, “but we have been working with crisis management all our life. The unknown is the norm when doing business in Libya”.
