Monopoly Nation: How A Handful Of Firms Control Prices, Hold Israelis Ransom

This article was first published by The Times of Israel and is re-posted with permission.

If there’s one thing that Israelis hate, it’s being “freiers” — suckers. But it seems many consumers are when it comes to buying items for the house.

Few know that when they clean the kitchen, the price of their Palmolive liquid soap and Ajax window spray is set countrywide by a single Israeli importer and distributor, who also provides them with their Colgate and Elmex toothpaste, Revlon and Neutrogena beauty products, Speed Stick deodorant, Band-Aid bandages and more.

SEE ALSO: Why Are Israelis Missing Out On Some Of Their Best Home-Grown Innovations?

All of these brands are exclusively franchised to a company few have heard of, called Schestowitz. Founded in 1954 by Shimon Schestowitz and run today by Yoni Schestowitz, it also has exclusive import and distribution rights for fashion brands such as Abercrombie and Fitch, Issey Miyake, Burberry, Calvin Klein and Jimmy Choo.

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