Cost-of-Living: Foreign Supermarket Chains to the Rescue

By Shimon B. Lifkin

The Carrefour supermarket at Faa’a, Tahiti, French Polynesia. With 12,225 stores in over 30 countries, Carrefour is adding Israel to its list. 

YERUSHALAYIM — Israel will be getting help from abroad in its struggle to contain the cost of living, interim Prime Minister Yair Lapid said at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday.

Lapid hailed the decision of the giant French supermarket chain Carrefour to open operations in Israel, which he predicted will bring “great reductions” in prices for basic commodities.

The news comes at the same time that that the Dutch international supermarket chain SPAR has signed a letter of intent to expand into Israel, Globes reported Sunday.

“We expect additional large companies to follow,” Lapid said.

“It can’t be that in a rich country there are citizens who can’t make ends meet,” Lapid said, and warned that “all the players in the market … who raise prices in an irresponsible way are likely to get up in the morning and find themselves with unexpected competition.”

Carrefour products are expected to appear in Yeinot Bitan stores this summer and the first Carrefour-branded supermarkets are slated to open at the end of the year, according to Globes. The franchise agreement is for 20 years, with an option for another 20 years after that.

Last week, in reaction to public outcry over the economy ministry’s decision to raise the price of regulated breads by 20%, Lapid instructed officials to revise the measure downward.

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