Israeli Retail Sales Decline During Holidays Amidst Security Calm
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Israeli mall sales decreased during the recent holiday season compared to the previous year, with adjusted calendar comparisons showing mixed results across different shopping centers. While some larger malls saw modest growth, many experienced declines, attributed partly to a more stable security situation this year. The upcoming Passover sales data will reflect the influence of the "Roaring Lion" war on last year's shopping patterns.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Israeli mall sales declined during the recent holiday period, with adjusted calendar comparisons used.
- Performance varied, with 7 malls growing over 10% and 7 malls declining over 10%.
- Gold Mall saw a 5.8% increase, while Ofer Grand Mall in Petah Tikva rose 3.4%.
- This year's figures reflect a calmer security environment compared to the previous year's conflict.
- Future Passover sales data will be influenced by the "Roaring Lion" war's impact on last year's shopping.
Retail sales in Israeli malls experienced a noticeable decline during the recent holiday period, according to data collected over the High Holidays. This analysis adjusted for the Hebrew calendar to provide a more accurate comparison between September 3 to October 4, 2026, and September 14 to October 15, 2025, encompassing the same Hebrew dates from ten days before Rosh Hashanah to the day after Simchat Torah.
While traditional year-over-year comparisons can be skewed by the shifting dates of Jewish holidays, this adjusted method aimed for a clearer picture. The data revealed varied performance among malls: 7 malls saw sales increase by over 10%, 55 malls grew by up to 10%, 64 malls decreased by up to 10%, and 7 malls experienced a drop of more than 10%.
Among larger, successful malls, Gold Mall reported a 5.8% sales increase, Ofer Grand Mall in Petah Tikva saw a 3.4% rise, Grand Canyon Beer Sheva increased by 1.6%, and Azrieli Jerusalem and Ofer Kiryon each grew by 1%. These figures contrast with the previous year, when some malls saw sharp increases influenced by the intense conflict in Lebanon during the 2024 holidays.
This year's comparison reflects a relatively calmer security environment, which may have masked some of the unusual upticks seen previously. Looking ahead, the sales data for the Passover period in approximately six months is expected to be affected by the impact of the "Roaring Lion" war on last year's Passover shopping, potentially altering the comparison base once again.
