Urban Outfitters comes to Israel following years of accusations of antisemitism and insensitivity regarding their merchandising practices.
By JACOB GOFF KLEINUpdated: OCTOBER 24, 2017 09:11People crosses the street next to the Urban Outfitters store in Manhattan, New York(photo credit: REUTERS/EDUARDO MUNOZ)
A new Urban Outfitters is opening in Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Center mall, according to a Facebook announcement on Wednesday.According to Globes, this will be the first branch in the Jewish State. Fox, an Israeli-based fashion company, reported that it signed a 10-year deal last September which outlines that Fox will be the Urban Outfitters franchise operator. The three brands that will now become available in Israel are Anthropologie, Urban Outfitters and Free People. These brands will also be sold on the Fox virtual store online.Fox is paying an estimated 40 million shekels for the first four years of the franchise.Urban Outfitters comes to Israel following years of accusations of antisemitism and insensitivity regarding their merchandising practices.According to Jweekly.com, in 2003, a shirt stating "everyone loves a Jewish girl" surrounded by dollar signs was removed after complaints from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).In 2015, the ADL asked the clothing chain to remove a shirt stylizing an upside down pink triangle on a striped background. The pink triangle was a symbol used by Nazis during the Holocaust to label members of the gay community.According to The Huffington Post, Urban Outfitters removed a yellow t-shirt featuring a six pointed star after a statement from the ADL detailing the offensive similarities between the shirt and the yellow Star of David forced upon Jews during the Holocaust.All three items were removed by Urban Outfitters following the complaints.Urban Outfitters was founded in 1970 and is a leading retailer of fashion globally. The franchise operates in America, Canada, Europe and soon to be Israel. The 500 stores worldwide brought an estimated revenue of 3.5 billion dollars in 2016 with a profit margin of 11%.
