Six months after the Mega saga hit the headlines, its new owner Nahum Bittan - of the Yeinot Bittan supermarket chain - was officially handed the keys at a ceremony on Thursday in the company’s Rosh Ha'ayin offices.
Bittan, who remained silent throughout the bidding process, did not offer many words during the ceremony either. Bittan thanked "the Almighty, who financed the deal," his wife, his family, his professional team, the trustees who "pushed the deal," and Mega's employees.
Bittan would not answer questions about say whether he would maintain low prices at the chain or buy produce from Bikurei Hasadeh after the Antitrust Authority's ruling on his relationship with the supplier. However, Bittan is expected in the meantime to maintain the Mega brand, and not unite the newly-bought branches under the Yeinot Btitan brand.
Nissenkorn: Committed to Mega’s success
Histadrut chief Avi Nissenkorn - who was a full partner to the deal - welcomed the news and and gave his personal commitment that "Mega will be a successful company." "The employees, the union, and the Histadrut are invested and we will make sure it becomes a reality. That is my personal guarantee," he said. Nissenkorn said the Histadrut backed the Bittan bid because "a man’s reputation goes before him, and Nahum has a reputation as a fair employer."
Trustees: Happy to sell in one piece
Adv. Amir Bartov, who spoke on behalf of the trustees, said: "Mega is being welcomed into a warm family after a certain difficult period which required brave decision-making, a firm belief in the values of the trustees, and cooperation at all levels from managers to workers to suppliers - and it bore fruit; we succeeded."
He added: "There is a bittersweet feeling today. On one hand, we are happy to have reached this moment and to hand over the reins to the excellent hands of Nahum Bittan and his team. Working with him has been a pleasure; he showed he was determined and believed that he could lead Mega to a better future alongside Yenot Bittan. The agreement is good for the employees, for the suppliers, and for everyone. On the other hand, we are saying goodbye to a company that we lived and breathed for six intensive months."
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on July 3, 2016
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