He started with a single shop in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market. Forty-five years later, his name is the synonym for price discounting in Israel.
THE BUILDERS · OLAM.BUSINESS
Edited on Aug 16, 2026.
He started with a single stall in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market in 1976 — Israel's first discount store. Forty-five years later, his name is the synonym for price discounting in Israel, his face is on the stores, and the company he built is publicly traded as Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
In 1976, a young man fresh out of IDF service opened a small grocery in Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market. He bought wholesale. He undercut his neighbors on price. He refused to charge what the major chains charged for the same products.
Forty-five years later, Rami Levy is one of Israel's three largest supermarket operators, a publicly traded company on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE: RMLI), the operator of one of the country's discount mobile carriers, and a household name. His face is on his stores. He is the brand.
Rami Levy: Snapshot
| Born | 1955, Jerusalem, Israel |
|---|---|
| Family origin | Kurdish Jewish; one of six children. Father worked for the Jerusalem municipality. |
| Education | No formal higher education; severe dyslexia. Founded the business directly out of IDF service. |
| Main company | Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing (TASE: RMLI) — Owner and CEO |
| Market position | Third largest Israeli retail supermarket chain, behind Shufersal and Alon Holding–Blue Square |
| Subsidiaries | Rami Levy Communications (MVNO/Pelephone); Yafiz clothing; Israir Airlines (stake) |
| IPO | Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, 2007 |
| Real estate | ~65% of land under stores (~35,000 sqm across Mevasseret Zion, Modiin, Gush Etzion, Pardes Hanna) |
| Employees | 5,000+ |
| Based in | Talpiot Industrial Zone, Jerusalem (corporate HQ above the store) |
| Known for | Aggressive pricing, anti-cartel stance, low-cost mobile carrier, populist business identity |
How did Rami Levy build Israel's first discount store?
Levy grew up in Jerusalem's Pachim neighborhood — adjacent to Mahane Yehuda — in poverty. His parents had immigrated from Kurdistan; his father worked for the Jerusalem municipality, his mother raised six children at home. Levy flunked out of school due to severe dyslexia.
Upon completing his army service in 1976, he opened his first store — a 40-square-meter stall on Rehov Hashikma in the Mahane Yehuda market. He bought wholesale from a supplier, then went direct to the importer after three months, and sold at margins the dominant chains were not matching. He scaled store by store through the 1980s and 1990s, opening his first full supermarket in Talpiot in 1992 and expanding outside Jerusalem.
The company went public on TASE in 2007. Levy pushed into adjacent categories — mobile (Rami Levy Communications, launched 2011 as an MVNO), Yafiz clothing, real estate, hotels, fresh produce supply chains, and online grocery. The company also owns approximately 65% of the land on which its supermarkets stand — part of what makes the discount pricing model defensible.
Why does Rami Levy matter in Israel?
Rami Levy did to Israeli groceries what discount carriers did to European aviation. He proved the markups embedded in the dominant chains were optional. The 2011 "cottage cheese protest" was made possible in part by the cost benchmark Rami Levy stores had been quietly setting for years. He has publicly attacked Israeli food cartels and pushed for breaking import monopolies on dairy, eggs, and meat. He is one of the few billionaires in Israel with genuine populist credibility.
What does Rami Levy operate today?
Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing operates dozens of supermarkets across Israel including the West Bank, a low-cost mobile carrier (hundreds of thousands of subscribers), Yafiz clothing stores, a stake in Israir Airlines, an online grocery business, Eden Hotel Jerusalem, real estate (~35,000 sqm), and multiple food import lines. The company has been one of the few Israeli retailers that successfully bridged Jewish and Arab consumer markets.
Rami Levy: Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Rami Levy?
Israeli businessman (born 1955, Jerusalem), founder, owner, and CEO of Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing (TASE: RMLI) — Israel's third-largest supermarket chain and the country's first discount store. Founded 1976 after IDF service.
What is Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing?
Israel's third-largest retail supermarket chain (behind Shufersal and Alon Holding-Blue Square), founded 1976 in Mahane Yehuda. IPO 2007 (TASE: RMLI). Operates supermarkets, an MVNO, Yafiz clothing, Israir Airlines stake, and major real estate.
What is Rami Levy Communications?
A discount MVNO launched 2011 using Pelephone's infrastructure — the first MVNO in Israel to buy minute blocks from carriers and resell at a discount.
How is Rami Levy different from Shufersal?
Shufersal is largest by store count and revenue. Rami Levy is third-largest, defined by aggressive discount pricing. Levy founded Israel's first discount store in 1976 and forced dominant chains to compete on price.
Did Rami Levy go to university?
No. Severe dyslexia. Went straight from IDF to business in 1976. Kurdish-Jewish immigrant family, no higher education — part of his populist standing.
Where is Rami Levy based?
Corporate HQ sits above a supermarket in Jerusalem's Talpiot Industrial Zone.
Primary Sources
Rami Levy Hashikma Marketing annual reports and TASE filings (TASE: RMLI). Israeli retail industry data. Globes, TheMarker, Calcalist. Related coverage: Noam Lanir; Yitzchak Mirilashvili; David Azrieli. Data current as of August 2026.
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בעברית
התחיל עם חנות אחת בשוק מחנה יהודה ב-1976. ארבעים וחמש שנים לאחר מכן, שמו הוא שם נרדף להוזלת מחירים בישראל.
ב-1976 צעיר אחד פתח חנות מכולת קטנה בשוק מחנה יהודה בירושלים. קנה ישיר. מכר בזול. סירב לגבות את המחירים שהרשתות הגדולות גבו על אותם מוצרים. ארבעים וחמש שנים לאחר מכן, רמי לוי הוא אחד ממפעילי הסופרמרקטים הגדולים בישראל, חברה ציבורית בבורסה (ת"א: RMLI), מפעיל של אחת מחברות הסלולר הזולות במדינה, ושם בית. הפנים שלו על החנויות. הוא המותג.
The Olam Editorial Team | The Builders / הבונים