Zara's franchisee in Israel, Gottex Group, owned by Joey Schwebel and Hanan Elituv, is working to import international sports brand OYSHO into the country. Schwebel is negotiating with major Israeli mall groups such as Azrieli, Melisron and BIG for store locations.
Calcalist has learned that one of the locations already secured by the group is at Big Glilot, set to open in the coming months. Advanced negotiations are also taking place for locations at Ofer Mall in Petah Tikva and Azrieli Mall in Tel Aviv. The group is also looking to open a store in Ramat Aviv Mall, where other international sports brands like Lululemon and Alo Yoga are already operating.
It was also revealed the group plans to open 10 to 12 stores in Israel and is seeking commercial spaces of at least 450 square meters (approx. 4,844 sq ft) for each store. The brand is expected to launch its first stores in Israel in the second half of 2025.
The Gottex Group operates retail chains in Israel including Zara, Zara Home, Pull & Bear, Bershka, Stradivarius, and Massimo Dutti. Schwebel's entry into the sports sector with an international brand comes somewhat late, as competitors have already filled the market with many sports brands, both international and local.
The boom in sports fashion took place with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic when the world was confined to homes and ventured outside mainly for exercise. The sector's growth continues to this day.
In recent years, international sports brands such as Lululemon and Alo Yoga have entered the Israeli market and are currently expanding. Meanwhile, Delta launched the Israeli sports brand Panta Rei, and international sports brands like Nike and Adidas, whose stores are operated by Fox Group and Electra Consumers, are thriving with a growing presence and collections offering diverse sportswear and footwear.
Recently, Fox Group's online platform, Terminal X, announced it would acquire the Israeli sportswear e-commerce site Strongful. Fox's e-commerce operator will acquire 51% of Strongful for 20 million shekels, further expanding the group’s share of the growing sports brands market which also includes the U.S. sports footwear chain Foot Locker, operated by Fox.
OYSHO is the smallest and least-known brand of the Spanish Inditex corporation. Founded in 2001, it is popular among consumers worldwide due to its competitive prices compared to other international sports brands.
In addition to sports clothing, OYSHO also sells fashion accessories, bags, lingerie, swimwear and sports shoes. It has hundreds of stores in countries including Denmark, Belgium, Morocco, Mexico, Poland, Serbia, Sweden, Romania, Switzerland, Ukraine, South Korea, Kazakhstan, the UAE and Jordan.
The brand has built a digital workout community, offering about 1,000 digital workouts to its members. OYSHO has 3.5 million followers on Instagram and Facebook, comparable to Alo Yoga and fewer than Lululemon, which has 5 million followers.
OYSHO isn’t particularly low-priced but is considered relatively affordable compared to international sports brands like Nike, Lululemon or Alo Yoga. For example, an OYSHO short-sleeve T-shirt costs €16 in Spain, a sports tank top €20, a cropped cotton sweatshirt €26, a sports bra €20 and long leggings €26.
However, sources close to the company estimate that the brand's prices in Israel will be higher than abroad, similar to Zara's items in Israel, which are priced higher compared to Europe.