Ramat Aviv Mall
Encyclopedia
Ramat Aviv Mall is a shopping mall
on 40 Einstein Street, in Ramat Aviv
, Tel Aviv
. At a rent of $1,804 per square meter, it is Israel's most expensive mall and the 35th most expensive mall in the world. Its gross leasable area
is 17,800 square meters and it has 140 stores in two retail floors. Above the shopping is an office building called Ramat Aviv Mall Tower. The entire project—tower and mall—has a gross area of about 80,900 square meters. The mall is valued at 1.699 billion shekel
s, or 470 million dollars.
, who feared that the mall would damage their quality of life. Betsy Winer, of the Jerusalem Post, wrote, "I was opposed to its [the mall's] construction in the first place, citing it as an ugly, unnecessary eyesore - the product of greedy, rapacious entrepreneurs, and having no place in a residential area." Therefore, in 1992, some 30 residents submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court of Israel
to prevent Meqarqee Mercaz Ltd., the company which was going to build the mall, from receiving a license to build a shopping mall in Ramat Aviv. This caused a delay of more than a year in constructing the mall and Meqarqee Mercaz sued the residents, claiming damages of approximately $3-5 million from them. Construction of the mall began on October 11, 1993.
In November 1996, Lev Leviev
, an Orthodox Jewish diamond merchant, became the controlling shareholder
of Africa Israel, which owned 74% of Meqarqee Mercaz. Although he first said that "he would not let religious considerations influence the management of the company", in March 1997 he declared that the mall would be closed on the Sabbath
and he required the restaurants in it to be kosher. This caused a major controversy and led to protests from Omri Padan, head of McDonald's Israel
, from Israel Theaters, and from the residents of Ramat Aviv. Padan's and Israel Theaters' contracts allowed them to operate on weekends and the residents claimed that Leviev's decision violated the secular character of their neighborhood. Roni Milo
, the mayor of Tel Aviv, even called for a boycott of the shopping mall and Dan Darin, the deputy mayor
, stated that city would not grant Africa Israel new building permits if they were to close the mall on weekends. This caused Africa Israel's stock to drop by 20 percent. On May 7, 1997, Africa Israel decided to allow the McDonald's restaurant in the mall to be non-kosher. The mall and the office building above it opened on September 5, 1997. An arbitrator, Dov Levin, a retired Israeli Supreme Court Justice, was given the right to decide whether or not the cinemas and the restaurants would open on the Sabbath
. He ruled that they would remain closed because the Tel Aviv bylaws, although rarely enforced, state that entertainment spots and eateries must close on the Sabbath. The controversy actually pleased the other store owners, who, because of the mass exposure of the mall, profited more than they expected.
In 2006, the McDonald's branch in the mall became kosher. The decision was initiated by McDonald's herself. In late 2007, the administration of the mall announced that it was going to close down the Lev Cinema. This led to some protests. On its place some stores were built, including the first Apple store in Israel. In April 2009, Africa Israel, which owned 73.4% of the mall, sold its part to Melisron, a company owned by the Ofer Brothers Group
, for 1.5 billion shekels. The insurance company Migdal
owns the remaining 26.6%.
About 140 stores operate in the shopping mall. There are 3 anchor stores—Hamashbir Lazarchan
, Super-Pharm
, and Zara
. There are also several luxury stores of international and Israeli brand
s. The fashion stores Ralph Lauren
, Calvin Klein
, and Guess opened their first stores in Israel in Ramat Aviv Mall. Other fashion stores include InWear Matinique, Benetton
, Versace
, Golf & Co, Miss Lagotte, Gershon Bram, Castro
, French Connection
, and Bershka
. Food companies in the mall include McDonald's, Burger King
, Arcaffe
, Sbarro
, Boston Deli, and Ilan's House of Coffee.
The parking lot contains about 1,550 parking spaces. There are also about 200 parking spaces on the roof of the mall. About 7,200 people use the parking lot each day. Ramat Aviv Mall also has an area of about 7,970 square meters of offices, located primarily in the medical center
and in the office building above the mall. The medical center is located on the third floor of the mall and has an area of about 2,100 square meters. It includes therapy rooms, surgery rooms and resting rooms. The office building, with 15 floors and a height of 58 meters, comprises an area of about 5,300 square meters. The embassies of Norway
, Finland
, and Croatia
are situated in the building, along with law firm
s.
Shopping mall
A shopping mall, shopping centre, shopping arcade, shopping precinct or simply mall is one or more buildings forming a complex of shops representing merchandisers, with interconnecting walkways enabling visitors to easily walk from unit to unit, along with a parking area — a modern, indoor version...
on 40 Einstein Street, in Ramat Aviv
Ramat Aviv
Ramat Aviv is the name of several neighborhoods in the Northwest District of Tel Aviv, Israel:* Ramat Aviv Aleph * Ramat Aviv Bet * Ramat Aviv Gimmel...
, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
. At a rent of $1,804 per square meter, it is Israel's most expensive mall and the 35th most expensive mall in the world. Its gross leasable area
Gross leasable area
Gross leasable area in the retail development industry is a term applied to shopping malls, lifestyle centers, outlet malls and other retail centers to indicate the amount of floor space available to be rented...
is 17,800 square meters and it has 140 stores in two retail floors. Above the shopping is an office building called Ramat Aviv Mall Tower. The entire project—tower and mall—has a gross area of about 80,900 square meters. The mall is valued at 1.699 billion shekel
Shekel
Shekel , is any of several ancient units of weight or of currency. The first usage is from Mesopotamia around 3000 BC. Initially, it may have referred to a weight of barley...
s, or 470 million dollars.
History
The plan to construct the mall was announced in 1989. This plan was met with hostility by the residents of Ramat AvivRamat Aviv
Ramat Aviv is the name of several neighborhoods in the Northwest District of Tel Aviv, Israel:* Ramat Aviv Aleph * Ramat Aviv Bet * Ramat Aviv Gimmel...
, who feared that the mall would damage their quality of life. Betsy Winer, of the Jerusalem Post, wrote, "I was opposed to its [the mall's] construction in the first place, citing it as an ugly, unnecessary eyesore - the product of greedy, rapacious entrepreneurs, and having no place in a residential area." Therefore, in 1992, some 30 residents submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court of Israel
Supreme Court of Israel
The Supreme Court is at the head of the court system and highest judicial instance in Israel. The Supreme Court sits in Jerusalem.The area of its jurisdiction is all of Israel and the Israeli-occupied territories. A ruling of the Supreme Court is binding upon every court, other than the Supreme...
to prevent Meqarqee Mercaz Ltd., the company which was going to build the mall, from receiving a license to build a shopping mall in Ramat Aviv. This caused a delay of more than a year in constructing the mall and Meqarqee Mercaz sued the residents, claiming damages of approximately $3-5 million from them. Construction of the mall began on October 11, 1993.
In November 1996, Lev Leviev
Lev Leviev
Lev Avnerovich Leviev is a Bukharian-Israeli billionaire businessman, with a net worth of roughly $1.5 billion following the 2008 global financial crisis. Leviev is one of the most prominent Mizrahi Jewish individuals in the world and has been a major philanthropist for Jewish causes in Eastern...
, an Orthodox Jewish diamond merchant, became the controlling shareholder
Shareholder
A shareholder or stockholder is an individual or institution that legally owns one or more shares of stock in a public or private corporation. Shareholders own the stock, but not the corporation itself ....
of Africa Israel, which owned 74% of Meqarqee Mercaz. Although he first said that "he would not let religious considerations influence the management of the company", in March 1997 he declared that the mall would be closed on the Sabbath
Sabbath
Sabbath in Christianity is a weekly day of rest or religious observance, derived from the Biblical Sabbath.Seventh-day Sabbath observance, i.e. resting from labor from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, is practiced by seventh-day Sabbatarians...
and he required the restaurants in it to be kosher. This caused a major controversy and led to protests from Omri Padan, head of McDonald's Israel
McDonald's Israel
McDonald's Israel is the Israeli branch of the fast food restaurant chain McDonald's. Operated and licensed by Alonyal Limited , McDonald's Israel is the largest of Israel's burger chains with a 60% market share. The company sells hamburgers, chicken nuggets, french fries and soft drinks in...
, from Israel Theaters, and from the residents of Ramat Aviv. Padan's and Israel Theaters' contracts allowed them to operate on weekends and the residents claimed that Leviev's decision violated the secular character of their neighborhood. Roni Milo
Roni Milo
Roni Milo is an Israeli politician, lawyer and journalist, and a former Knesset member who held several ministerial positions. He was also mayor of Tel Aviv from 1993 to 1998.-Political career:...
, the mayor of Tel Aviv, even called for a boycott of the shopping mall and Dan Darin, the deputy mayor
Deputy Mayor
Deputy mayor is an elective or appointive office of the second-ranking official in many local governments. Many elected deputy mayors are members of the city council who are given the title and serve as acting mayor in the mayor's absence...
, stated that city would not grant Africa Israel new building permits if they were to close the mall on weekends. This caused Africa Israel's stock to drop by 20 percent. On May 7, 1997, Africa Israel decided to allow the McDonald's restaurant in the mall to be non-kosher. The mall and the office building above it opened on September 5, 1997. An arbitrator, Dov Levin, a retired Israeli Supreme Court Justice, was given the right to decide whether or not the cinemas and the restaurants would open on the Sabbath
Sabbath
Sabbath in Christianity is a weekly day of rest or religious observance, derived from the Biblical Sabbath.Seventh-day Sabbath observance, i.e. resting from labor from Friday sunset to Saturday sunset, is practiced by seventh-day Sabbatarians...
. He ruled that they would remain closed because the Tel Aviv bylaws, although rarely enforced, state that entertainment spots and eateries must close on the Sabbath. The controversy actually pleased the other store owners, who, because of the mass exposure of the mall, profited more than they expected.
In 2006, the McDonald's branch in the mall became kosher. The decision was initiated by McDonald's herself. In late 2007, the administration of the mall announced that it was going to close down the Lev Cinema. This led to some protests. On its place some stores were built, including the first Apple store in Israel. In April 2009, Africa Israel, which owned 73.4% of the mall, sold its part to Melisron, a company owned by the Ofer Brothers Group
Ofer Brothers Group
The Ofer Group is an Israeli family shipping business owned by the Ofer family. The Ofer family owns one of the largest private shipping companies in the world....
, for 1.5 billion shekels. The insurance company Migdal
Migdal (company)
Migdal Insurance and Financial Holdings Ltd. is one of the largest and oldest Israeli insurance companies. Founded in Jerusalem in 1934, the original group of investors included local Palestinian Jews, families from Egypt and Italy and Assicurazioni Generali which held a 50% stake and provided...
owns the remaining 26.6%.
Description of the mall
Ramat Aviv Mall stretches on an area of 80,876 square meters. This area includes the retail areas, the office areas, the underground and upper parking lots, and the public spaces and parks surrounding the mall. The main entrance of the mall is in Einstein Street 40, and there are two other entrances in Brazil Street and in Brodetsky Street. Approximately 24,000 people visit the mall each day and it is considered one of the most successful shopping malls in Israel, if not the most successful.About 140 stores operate in the shopping mall. There are 3 anchor stores—Hamashbir Lazarchan
Hamashbir Lazarchan
Hamashbir Lazarchan is an Israeli chain of department stores. Hamashbir consists of 33 branches across the country.-History:The chain was founded by the Histadrut in 1947...
, Super-Pharm
Super-Pharm
Super-Pharm is a pharmacy chain in Israel, Poland, and China. Owned by the Koffler family, the pharmacy uses the same logo and some of the same private-label brands, such as Life and LifeStyle, as Shoppers Drug Mart in Canada.-History:...
, and Zara
Zara (clothing)
Zara is a Spanish clothing and accessories retailer based in Arteixo, Galicia, and founded in 1975 by Amancio Ortega and Rosalía Mera. It is the flagship chain store of the Inditex group; the fashion group also owns brands such as Massimo Dutti, Pull and Bear, Oysho, Uterqüe, Stradivarius and...
. There are also several luxury stores of international and Israeli brand
Brand
The American Marketing Association defines a brand as a "Name, term, design, symbol, or any other feature that identifies one seller's good or service as distinct from those of other sellers."...
s. The fashion stores Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren
Ralph Lauren is an American fashion designer and business executive; best known for his Polo Ralph Lauren clothing brand.-Early life:...
, Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
, and Guess opened their first stores in Israel in Ramat Aviv Mall. Other fashion stores include InWear Matinique, Benetton
Benetton Group
Benetton Group S.p.A. is a global luxury fashion brand, based in Treviso, Italy. The name comes from the Benetton family who founded the company in 1965. Benetton Group is listed in Milan....
, Versace
Versace
Gianni Versace S.p.A. , usually referred to as Versace, is an Italian fashion label founded by Gianni Versace in 1978.The first Versace boutique was opened in Milan's Via della Spiga in 1978, and its popularity was immediate. Today, Versace is one of the world's leading international fashion houses...
, Golf & Co, Miss Lagotte, Gershon Bram, Castro
Castro (clothing)
Castro is an Israeli clothing company specializing in men's and women's fashions. Publicly traded on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, the company is valued at 70 million US dollars....
, French Connection
French Connection (clothing)
French Connection is a retailer and wholesaler of fashion clothing and accessories. Founded in 1972 by Stephen Marks it is based in London, is listed on the London Stock Exchange and operates globally....
, and Bershka
Bershka
Bershka is a company belonging to the Spanish Inditex group , that was created in April 1998 as a new store and fashion concept, aimed at a young target market. It now has 734 stores in 49 countries....
. Food companies in the mall include McDonald's, Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
, Arcaffe
Arcaffe
Arcaffe is a chain of cafes in Israel with outlets across the country. The chain was established in 1995 with the aim of bringing Italian espresso bars to Israel. Arcaffe launched its international activity by signing a cooperation agreement with Galeries Lafayette, a mall in Paris...
, Sbarro
Sbarro
Sbarro is a bankrupt chain of pizza restaurants that specializes in traditional Italian cuisine, including its most popular menu item "pizza by the slice." Its headquarters is located in Melville, Huntington, New York.- History :...
, Boston Deli, and Ilan's House of Coffee.
The parking lot contains about 1,550 parking spaces. There are also about 200 parking spaces on the roof of the mall. About 7,200 people use the parking lot each day. Ramat Aviv Mall also has an area of about 7,970 square meters of offices, located primarily in the medical center
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
and in the office building above the mall. The medical center is located on the third floor of the mall and has an area of about 2,100 square meters. It includes therapy rooms, surgery rooms and resting rooms. The office building, with 15 floors and a height of 58 meters, comprises an area of about 5,300 square meters. The embassies of Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
are situated in the building, along with law firm
Law firm
A law firm is a business entity formed by one or more lawyers to engage in the practice of law. The primary service rendered by a law firm is to advise clients about their legal rights and responsibilities, and to represent clients in civil or criminal cases, business transactions, and other...
s.