A complex legal dispute is unfolding between the 'Rami Levy Shvak Hashikma' chain and two franchisees who operated three 'Super Cofix' branches in Ra'anana, Givat Shmuel, and on Allenby Street in Tel Aviv. The chain has filed a 2.3 million NIS lawsuit in the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court, alleging severe breaches of the franchise agreements by the franchisees. According to a report by 'Calcalist' published on the 'ICE' website, the claim alleges that between April and June 2024, the franchisees ceased the daily transfer of cash receipts to the company's monitored safes, as required by their agreement.
Rami Levy claims that along with the cessation of deposits, actions were taken to conceal events, including covering or disconnecting security cameras in the branches, which created reporting gaps between the amounts registered at the registers and the cash found in the safes. The company notes that these gaps grew significantly over time. In a meeting with Cofix CEO Pini Shitrit, the alleged missing amount stood at approximately 194,000 NIS. Subsequently, following the company's attempts to perform inventory counts and the prevention of its representatives' entry into the branches, the amount rose to approximately 290,000 NIS.
According to the chain, the franchisees explained that they used the cash receipts to pay VAT debts—a claim the chain defines as a fundamental breach of the agreement, leading to a police complaint. Conversely, the franchisees present a completely opposing defense. Attorney Shosh River, representing the franchisees, categorically denies the claims of the Rami Levy chain. She states that the franchisees, who are in their 60s, were signed onto the franchise agreements and subsequently required to manage additional branches, including the Allenby branch, which incurred financial losses. The defense claims that the cash received was indeed used to pay employee salaries, but that this action was taken with the knowledge of Super Cofix management, with the understanding that offsets would be made or payments would be transferred via post-dated checks later. The franchisees describe a situation where they were required to vacate the branches on very short notice.
Currently, as noted in the report, additional legal proceedings are underway between the parties regarding the termination of the engagement and the outstanding financial disputes. It is important to emphasize that these are mutual legal claims that have not yet been adjudicated in court, and each party maintains its version of the events that led to the current conflict.