Baladi Seeks to Reassure Investors After Shufersal's Move to Import Meat Independently

Baladi, an Israeli meat importer, is attempting to calm investor concerns following a sharp 9.5% drop in its stock after Shufersal announced it would begin independently importing chilled meat from South America. Shufersal, a major retail chain, plans to sell these meat cuts in its stores as part of a strategic initiative by its controlling shareholders, Yossi and Shlomi Amir, who hold 24.9% of the company. This move threatens Baladi's position as a key supplier to Shufersal, which accounted for 12% of Baladi's total sales in 2025, up from 9% in 2024 and 2% in 2023.

In response, Baladi emphasized its diversified distribution channels across retail and institutional markets, highlighting its broad customer base and product range. The company, led by CEO Oren Nagar and controlled by Erez Dehabani, also pointed to its ongoing growth efforts, including the significant contribution of its logistics center. Baladi assured it will continue supplying high-quality products and maintaining competitive pricing in the Israeli meat market.

Despite these reassurances, Baladi's stock continued to decline, dropping as much as 7% intraday before stabilizing to a loss of over 2%. Industry insiders suggest that due to high demand exceeding the capacity of kosher slaughtering and certification teams, Baladi may sustain its supply volumes by redirecting products to other customers, mitigating the impact of Shufersal's new import strategy.