Sales of flags for Israel’s 58th Independence Day on Wednesday will reach NIS 4 million, the same as last year. The Federation of Israeli Chambers of Commerce estimates that this figure will include one million meters of flags for NIS 1.5 million, 500,000 flags for cars at NIS 1.3 million, and 100,000 other flags, including small plastic flags for kindergartens, large flags for flagpoles, and toothpick flags for tabletops, for NIS 1.2 million.
Shragai Flags and Emblems director David Shragai said 80% of sales of flag strings were to local authorities
Marom FGP general manager Avi Marom said there was a change this year in the decoration of residential buildings. In the past, building committees invested in large and small flags, especially in south Tel Aviv and other old neighborhoods. Tis year, sales rose in new and established neighborhoods in Tel Aviv and other cities.
Many building committees have ordered huge flags, between two and nineteen stories tall, and are spending NIS 200-2,000 in flags and decorations. Average spending in wealthy neighborhoods is 30% higher than in previous years, but 10-15% less in poorer neighborhoods.
Marom said Israeli flag makers were still competing against imports from China, which now have a 40% market share. Many government agencies and companies, such as the Jewish National Fund and Israel National Roads Company Ltd., must buy Israeli-made flags, or prioritize Made-in-Israel purchases. The Ministry of Defense, which bought some imported Chinese-made flags last year, switched to Israeli manufacturers of cloth flags, while also importing plastic flags from the Far East. Many local authorities also buy flags made in the Far East.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes.co.il - on April 30, 2006
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