15,000 square meter, NIS 3 million retail building with two commercial floors and some 100 stores opened its doors last month

A new mall at the Dead Sea offers both Israelis and tourists the chance to buy value added tax (VAT)-free products, along with an onsite VAT reimbursement counter for tourists, enabling them to avoid lines at the airport.

The 15,000 square meter (161,000 sq feet), NIS 3 million ($838,000) mall, with two commercial floors and some 100 stores, opened its doors last month and was built by UK developer Bercleys. On Sunday it became the first mall to introduce VAT-free shopping on brands including Boss, Armani and Calvin Kline outside the city of Eilat, which has been a VAT-free area since 1985. Other malls in Israel offer VAT-free shopping days as a special offer.