Nightingale supporters gathered at a London West End venue to check out the reasons behind the success of Sainsbury's.

Addressing the inaugural Young Nightingale business lunch, company chairman David Tyler discussed the fundamentals in running a major supermarket chain - customer service, good quality products and competitive prices. Sainsbury's earns £60 million on an average day.

Shoppers are benefiting from a Pesach price war as the major supermarkets promote special offers on matzah, wine and other festival essentials. But competition among the main players is taking its toll on Manchester kosher specialists.

The UK chairman of Stand With Us has called for British supporters of Israel to take part in Buy Israeli Goods Day on March 30, to combat a day of action called internationally by anti-Israeli boycotters.

It is hardly surprising that Philip Bier's Tiger UK value retail chain is being compared to Ikea. Founded in Scandinavia ten years ago, Tiger calls itself is a "variety store" selling home furnishings. It is active in eight countries, including the UK where there are ambitions to open 40 stores by 2012 - and eventually one on every high street.

The department store John Lewis has accused an anti-Israel campaign group of sending "false and misleading" information after it published a triumphant press release linking the company's withdrawal of an Israeli cosmetics brand with the boycott campaign.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) sent an email to its mailing list on Friday claiming John Lewis was "now refusing to stock" Ahava products.

John Lewis has accused an anti-Israel campaign group of sending “false and misleading” information after it published a press release wrongly linking the department store’s withdrawal of an Israeli cosmetics brand with its boycott campaign.

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) sent an email to its mailing list on Friday claiming John Lewis was “now refusing to stock” Ahava products.

Israel's holiday season has been brightened by better-than-expected economic figures.

The Central Bureau of Statistics in Jerusalem reported that the Israeli economy grew by 4.7 per cent on an annualised basis in the second quarter of 2010 - far above expectations of 2.9 per cent - because of the crisis in Europe.

Unemployment fell from 7 per cent in the first quarter of 2010 to 6.2 per cent in the second quarter and is approaching the low-point of 5.9 per cent achieved in the summer of 2008, before the global economic crisis struck.

The men’s fashion chain Topman is to open in Israel.

Stores in Herzliya and Beersheva are to be opened initially, with 25 more branches of Topman and its sister retailer Topshop planned for Israel over the next three years.

Topman and TopShop are owned by the Jewish billionaire Sir Philip Green.

There are already about 300 Topman stores around the world and the first Topshop opened in Israel in 2003.

At the time Sir Philip told the JC that he thought Israel was the right market for the brand.

He said: “They [the Israelis] are very fashionable.”