What could be the biggest retail boon to the average Israeli consumer, and perhaps the greatest retail threat to some of Israel’s major chain stores?
Yes.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did indeed meet with senior Walmart executive John Furner last month at the World Economic Forum in Davos to discuss the possibility of the giant chain entering the Israeli market.
Netanyahu’s economic adviser, Avi Simhon, told Bloomberg on Sunday the prime minister would “ease regulatory burdens wherever possible to make the market more accessible. . . The door to Netanyahu’s office is open,” he told the financial news website.
Simhon is also reportedly preparing an interim report on an effort to reform Israel’s tax code in much the same way as the United States as well, according to the report. The report is to be submitted to Netanyahu within the coming weeks.