Shlomo Group is one of the largest investments and holdings groups in Israel, consists of automotive, real estate, telecom, insurance,

shipyards A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Dockyards are sometimes more associated with maintenance a ...

and logistics sectors. The group was founded in 1974 by Shlomo Shmeltzer. The group's consolidated turnover is amounted to ILS 7 billion, as of 2017. Today the company is headed by

Asi Shmeltzer Asi or ASI may refer to: Asi * Asi, a Russian name for the Ossetians * Asi, another name for the Orontes River * Asi language, a language spoken in Southern Philippines, mainly in the islands comprising the province of Romblon * Asi, Creek langua ...

, the son of Shlomo Shmeltzer who was the company's founder, while his wife Atalia Shmeltzer acts as the group's owner.

History

20th century

The group was founded in 1974 as a

car rental A car rental, hire car or car hire agency is a company that rents automobiles for short periods of time to the public, generally ranging from a few hours to a few weeks. It is often organized with numerous local branches (which allow a user to ...

company. In 1983 her shares were signed

Tel Aviv Stock Exchange The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE; ; colloquially known as The Bursa, ) is Israel's only public stock exchange and a public company that has been traded on the Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange since August 1, 2019. Legally, the exchange is regulated by ...

. In 1990 Gold Bond/Conterm joined the group. Gold Bond is specializing in the sectors of containers storage and transportation, and in providing cargo logistics solutions. In 1991 the group has founded its first logistic center, "Shlomo Car Rental", in

Petah Tikva Petah Tikva ( he, פֶּתַח תִּקְוָה, , ), also known as ''Em HaMoshavot'' (), is a city in the Central District (Israel), Central District of Israel, east of Tel Aviv. It was founded in 1878, mainly by Haredi Judaism, Haredi Jews of ...

. In 1995, the Group participated in the acquisition of Israel Shipyards.

21st century

In 2002 the group bough the license for handling the operation of

Sixt Sixt SE is an international mobility service provider with about 2,000 locations in more than 100 countries. Sixt SE acts as a parent and holding company of the Sixt Group, which is internationally active in the business areas of vehicle rental, ...

in Israel and in 2003 acquired the "Afcon" holding group, which is traded on the

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

Stock Exchange A stock exchange, securities exchange, or bourse is an exchange where stockbrokers and traders can buy and sell securities, such as shares of stock, bonds and other financial instruments. Stock exchanges may also provide facilities for th ...

and specializing in the sectors of infrastructure, electromechanical systems, control and automation, and communication. In 2005 the group's activity was expanded outside of Israel through the establishment of Shlomo Romania where it provides car

lease A lease is a contractual arrangement calling for the user (referred to as the ''lessee'') to pay the owner (referred to as the ''lessor'') for the use of an asset. Property, buildings and vehicles are common assets that are leased. Industrial ...

, rental and sale services. In 2007, Shlomo Real Estate was added to the group and in 2008 Shlomo Insurance was founded. In 2011 the group was granted a franchise for importing the German car brand Opel through Opel Israel. That same year the group relocated it HQ to

Tzrifin Tzrifin ( he, צְרִיפִין) is an area in Gush Dan (Dan Region) in central Israel, located on the eastern side of Rishon LeZion and including parts of Be'er Ya'akov. The area proper is defined as an 'area without jurisdiction' between the two ...

, to "Kyriat Shlomo" service and logistics center. In 2014 the company was supposed to acquire

Sonol Sonol Israel or Sonol (), is an Israeli fuel provider and the country's third largest gas station chain. The company traces its roots back to 1917 and Sonol has been indirectly controlled by the Azrieli Group since 2006. History 1913–1947 The ...

from

Azrieli Group Azrieli Group is an Israeli real estate and holding company named after its founder David Azrieli. The company is engaged mainly in the development and management of shopping malls and office buildings in Israel. History Azrieli Group started i ...

, but the sale was cancelled following the death of Shlomo Shmeltzer and the perish of

David Azrieli David Joshua Azrieli, ( he, דוד יהושע עזריאלי; 10 May 1922 – 9 July 2014) was an Israeli-Canadian real estate tycoon, developer, designer, architect, and philanthropist. With an estimated net worth of US$3.1 billion as of ...

the day after. After the death of Shlomo, his son

was appointed as the chairman of the group. In 2015 the group won the sponsorship tender for the name of the

Drive in Arena The Drive in Arena ( he, היכל הדרייב אין), officially named Shlomo Group Arena ( he, היכל קבוצת שלמה) due to commercial sponsorship, is a multi-purpose hall in the northern part of Tel Aviv. Built on the grounds of wha ...

, officially named Shlomo Group Arena. In 2017 Shlomo Group acquired the business activity of the Chinese company

BYD Auto BYD Auto Co., Ltd. ("Build Your Dreams") is the automotive subsidiary of the publicly-listed Chinese multinational manufacturer BYD Company, headquartered in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. It was founded in January 2003, following BYD Compa ...

and began importing cars and electric buses. In 2018 group had founded the Shlomo Shmeltzer Institute for Smart Transportation at

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

, in the founder's memory.

Group Structure

S. Shlomo Holdings

A holding company which provinces car services for government, public, private and business customers. The company own a fleet of 80,000 vehicles, and provide those services through its subsidiaries. * Operating Leasing - The largest leasing company in Israel. holds 25% of the leasing market with a fleet of 54,000 long lease vehicles. The company has 3,500 business customers, mostly in food, industrial, high-tech and public sectors * Private Leasing – The Group's serves its 20,000 customers since 2009, and had 32% of the private leasing market in Israel. * Car Rental – Shlomo Group holds about 21% market share in Israel with a fleet of 13,000 vehicles for rent and 29 car rental stations across Israel. Shlomo Group is also an exclusive Israeli franchisee of the international rental company – SIXT, which has representation in 105 countries around the world with 2,200 rental stations. In 2019 the group launched a car-sharing services with "Shlomo Sixt Share". * Garage and Tow Chain – Shlomo Group provides all sorts of road services, such as a chain of garages with 400 service stations, towing and car repairs. Over 300,000 customers are subscribed the roadside recovery service operated by the Group. * First hand car sale – Another activity of Shlomo Group in this sector is first hand car sale. The Group operates a 37-point of sale system across Israel and reports 25,000 car sales per year, which are around 25% of the market share in this segment. * Franchisee of BYD Auto in Israel and Germany In June 2018 Shlomo Group acquired the Israeli and the Romanian franchise of the Chinese company

, a multinational company, that was established in Shenzhen province, China. Since its establishment in 1995, BYD Auto has developed an expertise in

rechargeable batteries A rechargeable battery, storage battery, or secondary cell (formally a type of energy accumulator), is a type of electrical battery which can be charged, discharged into a load, and recharged many times, as opposed to a disposable or prima ...

. In 2016, it sold 114,315 new electric vehicles, an increase of 70% from the previous year, that is higher than the average growth rate of new

electric vehicles An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes cha ...

sold in China (about 53%). BYD Auto has successfully expanded renewable energy solutions all around the world while operating in more than 50 countries and regions. After 23 years of development, BYD has created a net-Zero Emissions Energy system, affordable

solar power Solar power is the conversion of energy from sunlight into electricity, either directly using photovoltaics (PV) or indirectly using concentrated solar power. Photovoltaic cells convert light into an electric current using the photovoltaic e ...

and a reliable energy storage system as part of encouraging advanced electric transportation plans. BYD is traded on the Shenzhen and Hong Kong Stock Exchange. In Israel, Shlomo Group distributes a 12 meters long electric buses for the transit operator Egged. In the future, additional electric vehicles types are expected to arrive to Israel, such as 18 meters long buses,

minibuses A minibus, microbus, minicoach, or commuter (in Zimbabwe) is a passenger-carrying motor vehicle that is designed to carry more people than a multi-purpose vehicle or minivan, but fewer people than a full-size bus. In the United Kingdom, th ...

and passenger cars.

Shlomo Insurance

In November 2007 Shlomo Group was granted a license from The Supervisor of Insurance and at the beginning of 2008 established its business activity. The Group has 380,000 customers and 1,000 active insurance agents. According to the company's publications, its investment portfolio value amounts at ILS 900 million. In 2019 the company launched "AppToYou" - a service which measures the distance a driver had traveled and the safety of his driving, and fit the insurance policy by these paremeters.

Afcon Holdings

Shlomo Group is a controlling shareholder (62%) of Afcon. Afcon provides a range of products and services for infrastructures and technologies to a variety of companies in the Israeli market. Afcon was founded in 1945 and now employs 1,250 people. Afcon is traded on the

Stock Exchange at a value of NIS 500 million and its shareholders' equity is ILS 400 million. In 2015 the company's profits reached ILS 1.4 billion. Afcon operates worldwide, including Romania, China, India, the United States and Russia. Afcon has also a construction division, partnering the establishment of

Intel Intel Corporation is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California. It is the world's largest semiconductor chip manufacturer by revenue, and is one of the developers of the x86 seri ...

international R&D center at

Shlomo Real Estate

Shlomo Nadlan, owns 500,000 sqm. of properties in Israel and Western Europe, it was established in 2007 and specializes in real estate activities. Shlomo Real Estate core business is improving assets, including

hotels A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

and commercial properties. The company acquire properties and improve them through renovation, locating suitable tenants, etc. Some of the properties are sold and some are used for rental purposes. The value of the company's asset portfolio amounts at ILS 2 billion and shareholders' equity is estimated at NIS 600 million.

Israel Shipyards

Israel Shipyards Israel Shipyards is one of the largest shipbuilding and repair facilities in the eastern Mediterranean. The company also operates the first and only privately owned port in Israel. The company’s facilities are located at the Kishon Port (part ...

operates in the military and the civilian markets, including import and export logistics service.

is the largest shipyard in Israel and one of the largest privately owned shipyards in the Middle East, in addition it is the first and only private port in Israel. The company's facilities and offices are located in the eastern part of Kishon Port in

Haifa Haifa ( he, חֵיפָה ' ; ar, حَيْفَا ') is the third-largest city in Israel—after Jerusalem and Tel Aviv—with a population of in . The city of Haifa forms part of the Haifa metropolitan area, the third-most populous metropol ...

Bay, covering 335 dunams leased from the Administration of Shipping and Ports. The company has a 900 meters length pier with a waterside depth of 12 meters. Since September 2020 it became a public company.

Gold Bond

Gold Bond, which is owned by Shlomo Group, is actually a holding group consists of a number of companies, and most of its activity is located in

Ashdod Ashdod ( he, ''ʾašdōḏ''; ar, أسدود or إسدود ''ʾisdūd'' or '' ʾasdūd'' ; Philistine: 𐤀𐤔𐤃𐤃 *''ʾašdūd'') is the sixth-largest city in Israel. Located in the country's Southern District, it lies on the Mediterran ...

area, including the following fields of activity: *Container Terminal: providing terminal service and storage of full containers for import and export, including refrigerated containers, empty containers and more. *Freight Terminal: absorption of empty containers, unload and empty containers, split their cargo according to customers and more. *Logistics activity: storage service for containers and cargo after customs clearance, cargo handling, unload containers and additional logistics service (including freight transportation). *Lease of storage spaces and warehouses. Gold Bond owns a railway station enabling transportation of cargo and goods from Ashdod to all over Israel.

International Business Activity

In addition to Israel, a major focus of the group's business activity is in Romania. Shlomo Group is one of the two largest car rental companies in Romania today. It holds the largest market share of car rental and leasing in Romania, and also, an importer and franchisee of Opel in Bucharest. The core business of the group is first hand car sale.

Criticism

Shlomo Group was mentioned due to a fine in totaling ILS 1,549,100, that was imposed in 2013 on several vehicle importers, including Shlomo Group. According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection the companies did not publish air pollution level data of the vehicles. The notification of the Ministry of Environmental Protection noted this is not the first time Shlomo Group is fined for such kind of violation.

References

External links