In fact, he is regularly considered the richest Arab in Canada. With the civil war raging through the country he first left his small home in Damour, a coastal town south of Beirut when his father’s supermarket was destroyed, eventually making his way to Canada. He is now the president and co-owner of Marche Adonis, the best known hypermarket in Montreal. Also involved in the business are his brother Elie Cheaib and his compatriot George Ghrayeb, who both arrived in Montreal in the 70s.

The first started as a small 1,000-sq ft grocery store and has now developed into a large hypermarket chain with four branches in Montreal.