Chametz sales up 27% over Passover

Tiv Taam, only retail chain in Israel open throughout holiday, reports significant rise in sales of non-kosher food

Gil Kalian, Calcalist|Published: 04.30.11 , 08:12

This Passover wasn't all matzah for many Israelis. The sales of chametz products at the non-kosher Tiv Taam supermarket chain – including bagels, bread, pita bread, crackers and frozen pastries – were up 22% compared to last year, while the sales of beer jumped by 33%.

An adjusted calculation including the beer points to a 27% rise in chametz sales compared to last year's holiday. "This is a phenomenal increase for us," says the chain's Sales Manager Amit Ze'ev.

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Tiv Taam, the only retail chain which was opened on all days of the holiday and sold leavened food, reported that pita bread was its second most wanted product during Passover, with sales of as many as 600,000 "loaves" of pita of different types. The most wanted product was entrecote steak, 27 tons of which were sold throughout the holiday.

The chain reported a significant rise in its sales throughout Passover, especially as its stores remained opened during the entire holiday, as opposed to the competitors.

According to Ze'ev, the rise in sales was recorded throughout the country. "The second holiday saw a 600% increase in our proceeds compared to a regular day," he noted.

Passover is the busiest shopping time in Israel's supermarket chains. According to estimates, one of the chains which recorded higher sales than in previous holidays was Shufersal, which offered special sales on meat and fish and reinforced the number of workers in each of its stores.