Since 1910, the year of its foundation in Souk el Jamil Beirut, “Le Grand Magasin d’Electricite operated in the lighting business. It specialized in the wholesale and retail of electrical, gas and petrol lamps. The founder, Cesar Debbas was joined by his sons in 1954, and the company was rebranded as Cesar Debbas & Fils.

The Company’s main activities were trading, manufacturing and contracting in the electrical and lighting fields. By 1978, consistent with market growth and needs, Debbas evolved into a corporate group. The Debbas Group quickly acquired a solid reputation in the Middle East. Cesar Debbas & Fils activities were split to form specific entities. Debbas Enterprise and Debbas Industries were founded in Lebanon; other companies were established in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and France.