A price check ahead of Zara’s sale shows that the same items cost much more in Israel than in Europe, often by dozens of percent and sometimes nearly double. Zara’s online sale begins tonight at 11:00 p.m. in the app and reaches stores tomorrow morning, but the comparison with Zara websites in Spain, Greece and Italy suggests Israeli shoppers still pay far above European levels.
The clearest example is a denim jacket. In Israel it is priced at 329 shekels before the sale and 197 shekels after, while in Spain and Greece it starts at 49.95 euros, about 169 shekels. That is roughly 94% higher in Israel before discounts, and even after the sale the item costs about 110 shekels in Spain and 101 in Greece.
A long denim dress shows a similar gap, 259 shekels in Israel versus about 135 shekels in Spain, a difference of about 92%. After markdowns, it drops to 155 shekels in Israel, compared with about 88 shekels in Spain, 101 in Greece and 88 in Italy. A tunic dress was listed at 329 shekels in Israel and about 169 shekels in Spain, with the Israeli sale price at 197 shekels versus 101 in Spain.
The article argues that the gaps are not limited to sale items. A button-up shirt sells in Israel for 101 shekels on sale, the same as the regular price in Italy, and a men’s shirt costs 167 shekels in Zara Israel while it sells for 135 shekels in Italy without any discount. The piece says the differences are difficult to justify, since the chain, products, materials and production lines are the same.
It also notes that flying to Europe can cost only a few hundred shekels, and that many Israelis now order from Zara websites abroad through forwarding services. Even after shipping and taxes, those purchases can still be cheaper than buying in Israel during a sale.
