As more then half of Israel 'spopulation prepares to celebrate Valentine's Day on Tuesday, the major retailers are also getting ready – to make a financial killing.
A new Durex company survey finds that about 50% of Israelis celebrate the Christian holiday .According to a poll conducted by the Bandman Market Research Institute, 13% of Israelis celebrate Valentine's Day annually, whereas 38% only mark the holiday every once in a while. Some 470 people between the ages of 18-69 participated in the poll.
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However it appears that the big winners on this day are not necessarily the lovey-dovey couples who receive heart-shaped boxes and liquor-filled bonbons, but rather the companies selling the romantic goodies.
Annually, the Israeli market sees about NIS 80 million ($21 million) in revenues on Valentine's Day, claims Delta CEO Tzvika Schwimmer. In the United States that number is much higher, rolling in at nearly $10.3 billion.
Schwimmer expects Israeli sales to increase by 30% in 2012 compared with last year's figures. Studies also show that women are the main consumers on Valentine's Day, buying gifts to pamper their significant other.
- It turns out that the average Israeli spends around NIS 150-200 ($40-53) on cellular phone accessories related to Valentine's Day.
Meanwhile, there are those who have no plans to celebrate the festival of love. Moshe and Hadassah, both 83 years old, explain: "For us the entire year is a holiday. We've never celebrated Valentine's Day because it's not our holiday."
Daniel Edelson, Yehudit Yahav and Dana Lanzer contributed to the report