Mazen Akram Issa Sbitany is the natural extension of a legacy founded in the heart of Jerusalem 66 years ago, when in 1961 his late father, Akram Sbitany, opened his first store on Salah al-Din Street next to the Hamra Cinema. With remarkable foresight, he anticipated the future of electronics and secured global agencies that outperformed their counterparts on the Israeli side.
After the 1967 war, the company entered the most dangerous phase of its history: an Israeli-dominated monopolistic market, burdensome taxes, restrictive operating conditions, and an economic barrier aiming to suffocate East Jerusalem and sever it from its surroundings. Despite all this, the family – through the father’s discipline and the son’s sharp acumen – managed to maintain its global agencies and break into the market on both sides of the city, proving that Jerusalemite commerce is not merely buying and selling, but a battle of survival and sovereignty.
Mazen studied at the Friends Schools and participated in YMCA programs and the British Council. As a young man, he worked in his uncle’s shop on Salah al-Din Street. In 1966 he moved to the United States to study engineering at the University of California, before returning in 1972 to rebuild the company anew. He ended old partnerships, restructured the company, and launched its major expansion phase. In 1997 he became CEO, and in 2023 he assumed the role of chairman of the board. Today, the company boasts more than 100 points of sale and represents leading global brands such as LG, Beko, Philips, and Midea.
Today, as Sbitany celebrates 66 years of innovation and renewal, the family legacy continues through his children, who prepare to carry the torch forward – armed with a clear vision and full readiness to propel the Sbitany enterprise into the future, guided by modern professional standards and rooted in steadfast Jerusalemite values.
