Registry

Does Pret A Manger support Israel?

Business presence documentedupdated 2026-09-26

Pret A Manger does business in Israel — we found records of its operations there, but no record of donations, aid, or a public statement of support. Every claim below links to its source.

Filed under: Fast food & restaurant chains · Coffee chains & brands · Companies that support Israel

Background

Honest verdict: no donations, and Pret is not in Israel. The whole Israel record is a franchise plan that failed. A non-binding agreement with Fox Group and Yarzin Sella in December 2022 became a binding master licence that Fox disclosed to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange on 3 April 2023 for at least 40 shops; Pret gave notice cancelling it on 30 May 2024 before a single shop opened, and a settlement Fox disclosed on 1 October 2024 had Pret pay £3 million (about $3.9 million) to Fox's food subsidiary. Hebrew coverage of Fox's own filings settles the direction of the money: the NIS 36 million of build-out investment was Fox's, taken from Fox's 2023 annual report, and Fox and Yarzin Sella were to pay Pret a share of monthly revenue. English coverage that rendered that figure as "$36 million" overstated it about 3.6 times — NIS 36 million was about $10 million at the 3 April 2023 rate of 3.593 shekels to the dollar. Pret blamed war-related travel restrictions; the Palestine Solidarity Campaign claimed the reversal as a boycott victory, while pro-Israel groups protested outside Pret shops over what they called a cave-in — so the same act is read in opposite directions, and Pret itself has taken no public side. A separate claim circulating online concerns Pret's majority owner, JAB Holding, and the Reimann family's Alfred Landecker Foundation: that foundation is a family philanthropic vehicle focused on Holocaust remembrance and countering antisemitism, and any giving by it is an act of the owners' foundation, not of Pret A Manger. As a privately held UK company Pret publishes no US filings and no charitable-grant data, so absence of recorded donations here reflects both our searches and genuine limits on public disclosure.

The Canary — PSC claims victory as Pret abandons plans for 40 stores in Israel Yahoo News / Telegraph — Pret a Manger faces protest over 'cave-in' to boycott campaign Ynetnews — Pret A Manger agrees to pay millions after dropping Israel franchise deal Calcalist (Hebrew) — The agreement is signed: Fox to invest NIS 36 million in setting up Pret a Manger shops in Israel Arab News — Pret A Manger axes Israel expansion

Timeline of documented records

Documented records

Type	Date	Amount	Recipient	Sources
Partnership	2023-04	—	Fox Group (Fox-Wizel Ltd.) and Yarzin Sella Group, Israel — franchise partners A licence granted to Israeli partners, with the money running towards Pret rather than from it. Pret reached a non-binding agreement in December 2022 with retail group Fox (Fox-Wizel Ltd.) and hospitality operator Yarzin Sella — Fox 75% and Yarzin Sella 25% at that stage — and Fox then disclosed the binding master licence to the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange on 3 April 2023: a joint Israeli company owned 80% by Fox and 20% by Yarzin Sella, exclusive rights for ten years with an option for ten more, at least 40 shops in the first decade, and a percentage of monthly revenue payable to Pret in London. The build-out money was the Israeli partners' own: Fox's 2023 annual report put the first three years of investment at NIS 36 million (about $10 million at the Bank of Israel rate of 3.593 shekels to the dollar on 3 April 2023), mainly on opening shops. Pret A Manger itself was only the licensor. Fox won the Tel Aviv Port tender for the flagship — a 300 sq m unit with a further 150 sq m outside, in the former Castro store — and signed for a second shop at the BIG Glilot mall, with the launch expected in the second half of 2024. No shop ever opened: Pret gave notice cancelling the licence on 30 May 2024, so the relationship is listed here with that end date.	The Times of Israel — Due to war, UK's Pret A Manger scraps planned Israel entry Calcalist (Hebrew) — The agreement is signed: Fox to invest NIS 36 million in setting up Pret a Manger shops in Israel ynet (Hebrew) — Fox signs final franchise agreement for PRET, to invest NIS 36 million in the build-out mako / N12 (Hebrew) — Fox: Pret a Manger cancelled its Israel entry because of the war (Wayback snapshot, 4 December 2025) ynet (Hebrew) — Despite boycott threats, first Pret A Manger shop expected at Tel Aviv Port Arab News — Pret A Manger axes Israel expansion
Government contract	2024-10-01	—	Fox Group (Fox-Wizel Ltd.) food subsidiary, Israel — contractual compensation Pret paid to get out, not in. Fox told the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange that Pret gave notice on 30 May 2024 cancelling the licence agreement, citing, in Fox's wording, "a force majeure event as a result of the war" begun on 7 October 2023 and its claimed effect on Pret's ability to carry out the preliminary steps needed to open; Fox and its subsidiary answered through counsel that they reject Pret's notice and its reasoning, and Fox shares fell 3.25% on the disclosure. A settlement Fox disclosed on 1 October 2024 closed the dispute: without admitting the claims, and in full and final settlement, Pret pays £3 million (about $3.9 million) within a week to the Fox subsidiary that holds its food business, in which Yarzin Sella is the minority partner. The same settlement runs in both directions — should Pret open in Israel before October 2027, Fox and Yarzin Sella are to be offered a new licence on the terms already agreed, and Fox's subsidiary would then pay Pret £1.5 million. Attribution matters: this was a contractual break payment to a commercial counterparty, not a donation to Israel or to any Israeli cause, and it accompanied Pret's exit rather than an investment. Pret attributed the withdrawal to war-related travel restrictions — its teams could not do "the checks and training needed to set up Pret in a new market" — and told World Coffee Portal it still has no plans to open shops in Israel.	Globes (Hebrew) — After cancelling the licence: the compensation Pret A Manger will pay Fox (Wayback snapshot, 27 March 2025) Ynetnews — Pret A Manger agrees to pay millions after dropping Israel franchise deal World Coffee Portal — Pret agrees to pay $3.9m compensation over shelved Israel franchise deal Calcalist (Hebrew) — Because of the war: Pret A Manger gives up on entering Israel ynet (Hebrew) — Pret A Manger cancelled the agreement with Fox because of the war Middle East Eye — Pret A Manger pulls out of planned Israel operation

Frequently asked questions

Did Pret A Manger donate money to Israel or Israeli causes?

We have no records of donations. What is on record is commercial activity in Israel (Partnership, Government contract), which is not the same as support — see the records on this page.

Where does this information come from?

Every record on this page links to its source — news reports, official company statements, tax filings, or government records. 14 distinct sources are cited for Pret A Manger. Our methodology page explains the full verification process.

Sources & citations

Record last updated: 2026-09-26