Tel Aviv…by Idele Ross, KosherToday Israel Bureau Chief...A recent survey of expenses on food by place of purchase indicated that households are distributing food purchases among more types of retail places. The study by the Geocartography Group for the IMA Food Industries Division showed that Israelis are moving from the supermarket and shopping for food in two other types of retail stores. The survey showed that Israelis were also shopping for food at kiosks and gas station convenience stores. Supermarkets catering to the Charedi (rigorously Orthodox) sector experienced a drop from 11 percent in 2007 to 8 percent in 2008. On the other hand, Russian supermarkets experienced increased traffic from 2.9 percent in 07 to 3.1 percent in 08. Sources say that Charedi shoppers are frequent independents because of a greater variety of products with kashrus certifications that they trust.
