Shlomo Group

Shlomo Group is an Israeli investment and operating group built around automotive mobility and expanded into a broad portfolio of infrastructure, logistics, insurance, real estate, telecommunications and maritime businesses. It was established in 1974 by Shlomo Shmeltzer as a car-rental company and subsequently developed into one of Israel’s better-known privately controlled business groups. Its automotive operations span vehicle rental, operating and private leasing, vehicle sales, garages, towing and roadside assistance, fleet management, and vehicle-import activities. The group has also operated the Sixt rental franchise in Israel and has maintained an international presence, particularly in Romania. The group’s diversification accelerated from the late 1980s and 1990s. Gold Bond and Conterm brought container storage, terminal operations and freight logistics into the portfolio, while participation in Israel Shipyards gave the group exposure to shipbuilding, port services and maritime logistics. In the 2000s, the acquisition of Afcon expanded the group into infrastructure, electromechanical systems, automation, control technologies and communications. Shlomo Real Estate added property acquisition, redevelopment and leasing, and Shlomo Insurance created a regulated financial-services operation focused on vehicle and general insurance. Automotive remains the group’s central operating platform. Through its mobility businesses, Shlomo serves private customers, corporations, public-sector organizations and large fleets. The group’s offering combines access to vehicles with financing, insurance, maintenance, repairs, towing and replacement or resale services. This integrated model allows it to participate in several stages of the vehicle life cycle rather than relying solely on rental revenue. The business has also moved toward digital and usage-based services, including car sharing and technology intended to measure driving patterns for insurance purposes. The group entered electric mobility distribution through its relationship with BYD Auto, supplying electric buses and pursuing broader electric-vehicle opportunities in Israel and Romania. Its infrastructure interests, including Afcon, connect the group to construction, energy, automation, communications and smart-transportation projects. Israel Shipyards provides a further industrial platform, serving both civilian and defense-related markets and operating maritime logistics facilities in Haifa Bay. Gold Bond contributes container-terminal, warehousing, cargo-handling and inland logistics capabilities, particularly around Ashdod. After Shlomo Shmeltzer’s death in 2014, leadership passed to his son Asi Shmeltzer, who became chairman, while Atalia Shmeltzer remained associated with ownership of the group. The family-controlled structure has supported long-term diversification while retaining a strong connection between the group’s commercial activities and its founding automotive business. The group also established the Shlomo Shmeltzer Institute for Smart Transportation at Tel Aviv University, linking the founder’s legacy to research and innovation in mobility. Shlomo Group is best understood as a diversified Israeli holding and operating house whose identity is anchored in mobility but whose portfolio extends across strategic infrastructure and services.

Shlomo Group began in 1974 when Shlomo Shmeltzer founded a car-rental company in Israel. The original mobility business provided the platform for later expansion into leasing, vehicle sales, fleet services and related automotive operations. In 1983, the company’s shares were signed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, marking an early stage in its development as a larger business organization. During the 1990s, the group broadened beyond vehicle rental. Gold Bond and Conterm joined the organization in 1990, bringing container storage, transport and cargo-logistics capabilities. In 1991, Shlomo established its first logistics center in Petah Tikva. In 1995, it participated in the acquisition of Israel Shipyards, creating a foothold in shipbuilding, port services and maritime logistics. These moves established the pattern of diversification that later defined the group. The group’s expansion continued in the 2000s. It obtained the license to operate Sixt in Israel in 2002 and acquired Afcon in 2003. Afcon added infrastructure construction, electromechanical systems, automation, control and communications to the group’s activities. In 2005, Shlomo Romania was formed to provide leasing, rental and vehicle-sales services, giving the group an international operating base. Shlomo Real Estate was added in 2007, followed by the creation of Shlomo Insurance in 2008 after the group received an insurance license. In 2011, Shlomo received the franchise to import Opel vehicles into Israel and moved its headquarters to the Kyriat Shlomo service and logistics center in Tzrifin. The group considered acquiring Sonol from the Azrieli Group in 2014, but the proposed transaction was cancelled after the deaths of Shlomo Shmeltzer and David Azrieli occurred in close succession. After Shlomo Shmeltzer’s death, his son Asi Shmeltzer became chairman, while Atalia Shmeltzer continued to be identified with ownership of the group. The group maintained a visible public profile through sponsorship and mobility initiatives. In 2015, it won the naming-rights tender for the Drive-in Arena, which became Shlomo Group Arena. In 2017, the group acquired BYD Auto business activities and entered the distribution of electric vehicles and buses. The BYD relationship positioned Shlomo within Israel’s developing electric-public-transport market, including the supply of electric buses to transit operator Egged. In 2018, the group established the Shlomo Shmeltzer Institute for Smart Transportation at Tel Aviv University as a memorial and research initiative. By the end of the 2010s, Shlomo Group operated as a diversified holding and operating house. Its automotive division covered rental, operating leasing, private leasing, vehicle sales, garages, towing, roadside assistance and car sharing. Its other businesses included insurance, real estate, infrastructure technology, container terminals, warehousing, freight services, shipyards and port operations. The group’s international activity was particularly associated with Romania, where it operated vehicle rental, leasing and sales businesses and held automotive franchise interests. Its development illustrates how a family-founded rental company evolved into a multi-sector Israeli conglomerate while retaining mobility as its principal commercial identity.

• 2019

  Car sharing and telematics insurance introduced

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group launched Shlomo Sixt Share and the AppToYou usage-based insurance service.

• 2018

  Smart transportation institute founded

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group established a transportation-research institute at Tel Aviv University in the founder’s memory.

• 2017

  Entry into BYD electric mobility

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Shlomo began distributing BYD electric cars and buses after acquiring relevant business activities.

• 2014

  Leadership transition after founder’s death

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Asi Shmeltzer became chairman following the death of founder Shlomo Shmeltzer.

• 2011

  Opel import franchise and headquarters relocation

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group received the Opel import franchise in Israel and moved its headquarters to Kyriat Shlomo.

• 2008

  Shlomo Insurance launched

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group began operating an insurance business after receiving regulatory authorization.

• 2005

  Romanian operations established

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Shlomo Romania began vehicle leasing, rental and sales activities.

• 2003

  Afcon acquisition

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Afcon brought infrastructure, automation, control and communications activities.

• 1995

  Expansion into Israel Shipyards

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Participation in the acquisition of Israel Shipyards added shipbuilding and maritime operations.

• 1990

  Gold Bond and Conterm join

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group entered container storage, transportation and cargo logistics.

• 1983

  Tel Aviv Stock Exchange share signing

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The group’s shares were signed on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.

• 1974

  Foundation as a car-rental business

  [1]Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Shlomo Shmeltzer founded the company that later became Shlomo Group.

A privately controlled Israeli business group combining mobility services with infrastructure, logistics, insurance, real estate and maritime assets. Its distinctive proposition is an integrated automotive ecosystem supported by diversified industrial and service businesses.

• Vehicle rental · 2002

  Shlomo Sixt

  Shlomo’s vehicle-rental operation in Israel, operated under the Sixt franchise. It serves consumers, business travelers and fleet customers through rental locations and a broader mobility platform connected to leasing, vehicle sales and automotive support services.

• Automotive finance and fleet services

  Operating and private leasing

  The group provides long-term vehicle leasing for companies, public-sector organizations and private customers. The service model combines vehicle access with fleet administration, maintenance and other lifecycle services, making leasing a core link between Shlomo’s rental, insurance and automotive-support businesses.

• Vehicle retail

  Shlomo Car Sales

  Shlomo’s vehicle-sales activity covers first-hand vehicle distribution and related retail operations. It complements the group’s rental and leasing fleets by giving the business a channel for new-vehicle sales and a way to participate in the vehicle market beyond recurring mobility contracts.

• Insurance · 2008

  Shlomo Insurance

  A regulated insurance business established by the group after receiving an operating license. Its activities are closely connected to the automotive ecosystem, and the company later introduced AppToYou, a service intended to use driving distance and safety data in shaping insurance terms.

• Electric mobility distribution · 2017

  BYD electric buses and vehicles

  Shlomo entered electric-mobility distribution through BYD Auto business activities, supplying electric buses and pursuing additional electric-vehicle categories. The business connected the group’s established fleet expertise with the transition toward lower-emission public and private transportation.

• Port and logistics services · 1990

  Gold Bond logistics

  Gold Bond provides container-terminal, freight-terminal, storage, warehousing and cargo-handling services, with activity concentrated around Ashdod. Its operations support import and export flows and include logistics services after customs clearance and transportation connections within Israel.

• Shipbuilding and maritime services · 1995

  Israel Shipyards

  Israel Shipyards operates in civilian and military maritime markets, including shipbuilding, import and export logistics and port services. Its facilities are located in Haifa Bay and form one of the group’s major industrial and transportation assets.

• Infrastructure and technology · 2003

  Afcon

  Afcon supplies infrastructure and technology solutions involving electromechanical systems, automation, control, communications and construction-related activities. Its addition diversified Shlomo Group into project-based industrial and technology services in Israel and selected overseas markets.

• Real estate · 2007

  Shlomo Real Estate

  The real-estate arm acquires, improves, leases and sometimes sells commercial, hospitality and other properties. Its approach emphasizes asset enhancement through renovation, tenant repositioning and operational improvement rather than only passive property ownership.

• 2013

  Fine over vehicle air-pollution disclosures

  Environmental authorities fined several vehicle importers, including Shlomo Group, for not publishing required air-pollution information for vehicles. The authorities’ notice reportedly indicated that Shlomo had previously faced a similar type of violation.

  Source

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• 2018Shlomo Shmeltzer Institute for Smart Transportation

  Israel

  The group established a transportation-research institute at Tel Aviv University in memory of its founder, linking the corporate brand with academic work on smart mobility.

  Outcome. The institute became a memorial and research platform associated with the group.

  Source
• 2015Shlomo Group Arena naming sponsorship

  Israel

  Shlomo Group won a sponsorship tender for the Drive-in Arena, giving the venue the Shlomo Group Arena name and increasing the group’s public visibility beyond its operating businesses.

  Outcome. The arena was publicly identified with the Shlomo Group brand.

  Source

• 2019

  Launch Shlomo Sixt Share and AppToYouProduct launch

  Background

  Changing mobility patterns and connected-vehicle data created opportunities beyond conventional rental and insurance products.

  Action taken

  Shlomo launched a car-sharing service and a usage-based insurance offering based on distance and driving-safety information.

  Aftermath

  The initiatives extended the group’s services into shared mobility and telematics-supported insurance.

  Source

• 2017

  Enter BYD electric mobility distributionProduct launch

  Background

  The group’s fleet and vehicle-distribution capabilities provided a platform for participation in the emerging electric-transport market.

  Action taken

  Shlomo acquired BYD Auto business activities and began importing and distributing electric cars and buses.

  Aftermath

  The group supplied electric buses for Israeli public transportation and expanded its mobility positioning toward electrification.

  Source

• 2014

  Leadership transition after Shlomo Shmeltzer’s deathOther

  Background

  The death of the founder created a succession point for the family-controlled group.

  Action taken

  Asi Shmeltzer became chairman, while Atalia Shmeltzer remained associated with ownership.

  Aftermath

  The group continued under the next generation of the Shmeltzer family.

  Source

• 2011

  Add Opel vehicle importationStrategy

  Background

  Shlomo aimed to expand its role across the vehicle distribution and ownership lifecycle.

  Action taken

  The group accepted a franchise to import Opel vehicles into Israel.

  Aftermath

  Opel Israel became part of the group’s automotive distribution portfolio.

  Source

• 2003

  Acquire AfconM&A

  Background

  The group was diversifying beyond automotive services into infrastructure and technology.

  Action taken

  Shlomo acquired the Afcon holding group.

  Aftermath

  The transaction added infrastructure, electromechanical, automation, control and communications businesses.

  Source

• 2002

  Take on the Sixt Israel franchiseStrategy

  Background

  Shlomo sought to strengthen its rental platform through an international brand and franchise relationship.

  Action taken

  The group obtained the license to operate Sixt in Israel.

  Aftermath

  Sixt became a prominent consumer-facing component of Shlomo’s Israeli mobility operations.

  Source

1. 1Shlomo Groupen.wikipedia.org