WATCH: Sir Richard Branson puts bartering skills to the test in Jaffa market!
Virgin Atlantic's boss gave successful hagglers vouchers which they can exchange when they want to fly from Tel Aviv to London
Jenni Frazer is a freelance journalist
An Israeli company which specialises in rescuing marine infrastructure won the heart of Sir Richard Branson last week. ECOncrete, founded in 2012 by marine ecologists Dr Shimrit Perkol-Finkel and Dr Ido Sella, was one of five hi-tech companies which took part in an event called “Pitch to Rich”, part of a three-day long celebration of Virgin Atlantic’s newest route from London to Tel Aviv.
The company offers a range of high performance, environmentally sensitive concrete solutions, which enhance the biological and ecological value of urban, coastal, and marine infrastructure while increasing their strength and durability. Sir Richard, whose main residence is Necker Island in the Caribbean, is very keen on improving the marine environment, particularly looking for solutions to repair damage to coastlines and reefs.
ECOncrete is now working all over the world and in May this year installed its first UK fixture —a tide pool coastal installation at North Portsea, next to Plymouth. Known as Tide Pool Armor and made in the UK to ECOncrete specifications, the fixture is designed to help preserve the coastline of Portsea Island and offer a new habitat for local marine life.
As the winner of the “Pitch to Rich” event, the company has won flights to London, three nights’ accommodation, and a place on a Virgin Start Up course which focuses on taking one’s business to the next level.
Read more:
- Virgin’s Barbie dolls on Israel flight inspires young girls to reach for the sky
- Richard Branson hails Israeli entrepreneurs as he arrives on new Virgin flight
Meanwhile, Sir Richard Branson took to the streets of Jaffa directly with the jokily-titled “Come Flea With Me” stall in the city’s flea market. Warned, by Jerusalem-born Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss, that Israelis were keen hagglers for a bargain, Sir Richard decided to test the water himself.
He encouraged local shoppers to barter with him for flights, and around 10 took up the challenge. As well as offering flights, his market stall was decked out with Virgin Atlantic merchandise, which he offered customers to sweeten the deal.
One savvy Israeli secured return flights for just $45 — a 90 per cent discount — while a British father and daughter bagged flights for just a quarter of the asking price. A married couple convinced Branson to throw in a business class upgrade to their return tickets to celebrate their anniversary. But one man’s wife was not impressed — because he walked away with just a toy plane, not believing that the stall was real.
The successful barterers received vouchers which they can exchange when they want to fly from Tel Aviv to London.
Sir Richard said: “Israel is famous for its savvy negotiators, so I wanted to go head to head with some of its residents to put my skills to the test — and I had to bring my A-game.”
He added: “With its thriving start-up scene, pristine beaches and vibrant nightlife, Tel Aviv was a key destination for Virgin Atlantic to establish a new route. We’re thrilled to be helping our customers discover everything the city has to offer, playing a part in strengthening the cultural and commercial connection between London and Tel Aviv.”
Flights start on the London to Tel Aviv route from £298 per person.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
