Walmart Delegation Said Headed To Israel For Talks On Local Branch

February 5, 2018 | A delegation from American retail giant Walmart is reportedly headed to Israel in the coming weeks for talks on the possibility of opening a local branch, business daily CTech by Calcalist reported on Monday, citing an interview with Israel’s National Economic Council Chairman Avi Simhon. Walmart will also look into possible investments in Israeli cyber technologies, Simhon told CTech. Simhon said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with senior Walmart executive John Furner on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland last month and conveyed the message that the government would be open to having a local Walmart presence. “We made it clear we are ready to ease regulatory burdens wherever possible to make the market more accessible to them,” Simhon was quoted as saying in a Bloomberg report on Sunday, “the door to Netanyahu’s office is open.” He told CTech, “Increasing the competitiveness of Israel’s retail market will only benefit the economy and the Israeli consumer.”