Turkey exported 1.7 billion dollars of leather and leather products in 2021. Compared to 2020, the increase was 29.6 percent. The share of shoes in this figure was 1 billion dollars. When Russia invaded Ukraine, pessimism prevailed for 2022 because Russia was the country to which we exported the most with a share of 8.2 percent. However Despite the war, the Turkish entrepreneur largely preserved its sales to Russia and Ukraine, and managed to rapidly increase its shoe exports to other markets, especially to Western European countries. In the first half of 2022, the increase in our exports, both in leather products and shoes in general, continued in double digits. Our country has been writing a success story in shoe production and export for 8 years. The contribution of the private sector and the state to be in dialogue and to develop solutions together when there is a blockage.
Berke İçten, President of Turkish Shoe Manufacturers Association (TASD) We chat with. Chairman İçten states that by the end of this year, our footwear exports may approach $1.3 billion, which means an increase of 30 percent compared to last year. Saying that there are strong increases in exports to our ‘competitors’ such as Italy, Spain and Portugal, I ask the President of TASD, how the industry got to this point while it was running a foreign trade deficit. His answer is clear: “2014 is a milestone for our industry. Our industry was experiencing serious difficulties against the poor quality cheap products coming from the Far East. We had an import of 1 billion dollars, an export of 650 million dollars, and a foreign trade deficit of 350 million dollars in shoes. We told the trade minister of the time, that with the directive of our President, the customs tax was increased in 2014 against this unfair competition. By 2021, our industry exports 1 billion dollars, imports 550 million dollars and we have a foreign trade surplus of 450 million dollars. Our shoe manufacturer both increased its production and came to the fore in global competition by traveling around the world for export. Our kilogram export value was also 8-10 dollars.”
We also have a proposal to exceed 3 billion dollars.
Stating that Turkey’s shoe exports could triple in 3 or 4 years if new steps are taken, TASD President Berke İçtenstates that they have prepared a detailed study and forwarded it to the Minister of Labor and Social Security. He heartily summarizes this proposal and its rationale as follows: “We are an employment-intensive industry. Employment of approximately 320 thousand peoplewe have Therefore, our SSI burden very high. We say that companies should be divided into categories according to their employment and that companies with a large employment load in their turnover should be gradually introduced. Get a discount on SSI premiums. We recommend this for all sectors with the same principle. We are ready for the pilot application. If this step can be taken, we can both increase our employment rapidly and increase our exports to 3 billion dollars in a few years. Some of the global shoe brands are currently in Turkey has invested in new production. Some of them invest in our country or supply from here. doing research for. If a clustering opportunity can be provided on the Silivri-Çatalca axis, we will achieve a huge increase in investment, employment and exports.”
Turkey took the lead in the fair competition
Reminding that the shoe industry has two important fairs in Italy, Garda and MICAM, TASD President Berke Sincerelystates that Garda is a wholesaler and MICAM is focused on brand, fashion and design. Sincere, “Turkey is one of the biggest participants in these two fairs, we attended Garda with 114 companies and 35 percent of the total fair area was owned by Turkish companies. It will be held on 18-20 September We will participate in MICAM with our 70 companies. Our Italian friends generally do not want to include us in this fair. Even Italian brands that could not participate can sometimes keep their places empty, or they respond as ‘we made it a trend area’”. I’m asking Chairman İçten about our shoe fair AYMOD. The answer is very interesting: “We held the first fair of this year in the organization of our association as the 66th AYMOD at the end of March and a historical record was broken. We are officially the biggest fair in Europe. 425 companies participated in the 32 thousand 400 square meter net fair area, Garda and Micam both lagged behind. Italians are now in high demand to attend AYMOD in September. They want to recover the trade they lost with Russia by participating in our fair. However, unfortunately, our space is very limited.”
Opened a store in the middle of the pandemic and became a brand
One of Turkey’s oldest shoemakers, the deceased Ethem Ozturan‘s children received in 2019branding‘, he successfully implemented his decision despite the Covid-19 pandemic. The company, which has been a manufacturer since 1966 and an exporter for many years, has been a registered trademark since 2001. bueno opened its first store in Nisantasi in June 2020 and transformed it into a 7-store chain. Bueno Shoes General Coordinator Orhun Özbaşaranthe group 1 million pairs of annual output He states that he is in business and says: “We opened our first store for Bueno during the worst days of the Covid-19 outbreak, but we achieved a very good turnover and we continued to shop. Our customers who think that Bueno is a foreign brand are surprised. Tourists also shop heavily. Our export is already very successful. At the moment Bueno is sold in 40 countries. We have products at 900 points in Italy alone. 20 percent of our overseas sales are in Italy, 30 percent in Australia, and we spread from the USA to Japan.