Roni and Ifat Irani have bought a 1,200 square meter penthouse in Tel Aviv's Shalom Meir Tower for NIS 145 million. The Iranis own Irani Corp. which owns the Factory 54 retail fashion chain.
The Iranis have bought two appointments extending from the 32nd to 34th floors of the tower, according to the land registry. The deal was signed in two stages on August 15 and 22, and is recorded in the land registry as belonging to Roni and Ifat Irani. Sources close to the deal say that the property is a "unique penthouse from which the view of the sea cannot be blocked," thus justifying the price.
This is the third highest price ever paid for a home in Israel, with the previous two deals involving foreign residents. In 2020, the late Sheldon Adelson bought the former US Ambassador's residence in Gale Tachelet Street in Herzliya Pituah for NIS 230 million, and nearby Russian-Israeli oligarch Roman Abramovich bought a house for NIS 226 million. 12 years ago Israeli businessman Teddy Sagi also bought a house in Gale Tachelet Street for NIS 145 million.
Earlier today, Galit Ben Naim, a manager in the Ministry of Finance Chief Economist Division, who is responsible for the Chief Economist's real estate surveys, hinted at the deal when she wrote, "Something that is difficult to explain, is a certain deal that was conducted in August and was one of the highest priced deals ever in the local real estate market, with even the price of NIS 120 million not high enough for it." Ben Naim added that it was in the city that featured last week in a report by UBS as having a high housing bubble risk - Tel Aviv."
The 129-meter high Shalom Meir Tower, which was completed in 1965, was at the time the tallest building in Israel. It was built on Herzl Street on the former site of the Herzliya Gymnasia high school, which was demolished.
A spokesperson for Irani Corp. said, "We do not comment on the private matters of the family."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on October 18, 2022.
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