Dole Israel Acquires Full Control of Zappa Concert Venues
Dole Israel has finalized a deal to acquire full control of the Zappa concert venue chain from its partner, Eventim. The agreement, submitted for approval to the Antitrust Commissioner, will see Dole Israel purchase Eventim's 40.5% stake in Zappa for NIS 20 million. This acquisition will raise Dole Israel's ownership to 81%, with businessman G Golan Einat retaining the remaining 19%.
In a second phase, Dole Israel will pay Eventim an additional NIS 9 million for its 61% share in Newco, the company responsible for selling Zappa's concert tickets and managing its website and data. Following the deal's completion, ticket processing operations, largely controlled by Eventim, will transfer to Dole Israel, and Zappa will handle its own ticketing.
The partnership between the German ticketing giant Eventim and Dole Israel, alongside Golan Einat, had deteriorated significantly, leading to legal disputes. In early 2025, Dole Israel sued Eventim Israel, alleging that mismanagement by an Eventim-appointed director was causing artists to abandon Zappa. Dole Israel also sought to prevent its share in the ticketing company from being diluted and requested the appointment of an accountant to examine the company's conduct and establish a separation mechanism.
Dole Israel accused Eventim of a lack of transparency and irregularities, specifically claiming that former CEO Ami Feinstein, appointed by Eventim, had alienated artists. Dole Israel also alleged that Feinstein had improperly transferred concert management and artist negotiations to Eventim Newco, and that Eventim Newco failed to transfer owed ticket sales revenue to Dole Israel.
Eventim denied these claims, calling the lawsuit false and asserting that Zappa venues were full and that accusations against Feinstein were baseless. The prolonged disputes and strained relations impacted Zappa, a pioneer in combining food and performance spaces, which had been highly profitable until the COVID-19 pandemic. The partnership's breakdown led artists to seek other venues, fostering new competition from companies like Tomix, Ticketmaster, and Kupat Tel Aviv.
