THE LONG REACH OF THE CHAREIDI ARM

This story comes from this week”s Kosher Today:

Supermarket Chain Faces Boycott by the Orthodox
Tel Aviv… The Alon Group’s (owners of the supermarket Blue Square) strategy of marketing segmentation seems to be on the brink of failure. Despite the chain’s development of a special brand for the Orthodox market, the community is threatening a boycott unless it closes its AM:PM brand on Shabbat. That brand was designed to appeal to secular Israelis and stay open on Shabbat. A committee of orthodox rabbis has made an announcement in the haredi press calling on the haredi public not to engage in business with the Alon Group, and supermarket chains Blue Square Israel and Shefa Shuk, because the AM:PM minimarket chain stays open for business on Sabbath. The Alon Group owns or controls all three chains. In announcements published in ‘Yated Neeman’ and ‘Hamodia’, the committee of rabbis said, ‘Attempts to reach agreement with the group owners to stop the public desecration of the Sabbath by AM:PM have failed. The group has announced the opening of dozens more branches in cities on the holy Sabbath, and have already started doing so, and there are those who are following in their example, which will lead to the Sabbath being desecrated everywhere.’ The announcement called on readers ‘not to have any business contacts with the aforementioned companies, including the use of gift vouchers and Kimcha Depischa (Passover charity) coupons for individuals and institutions.’