Shoe firms to set up production in Turkey to beat 50% hike in duties
01/06/2015
Import duties on footwear have increased to 50% for some categories, making imported shoes less attractive to retailers and consumers. However, Turkish consumers and tourists visiting Turkey buy around 230 million pairs of shoes a year, and an estimated 25% of these are imported.
Recent comments from one leading domestic producer, Barbaros Akyil, president of The Beta Shoe Company, suggest that better-quality brands that want to keep or even increase their share of the Turkish market are seeking to get round the high import duties by starting production in Turkey.
Mr Akyil said companies in western Europe in particular have approached Turkish producers to set up partnerships, with the Turkish firms carrying out production at their facilities to the specifications and under the brand name of their partners. He said his own firm was currently in negotiations with a potential partner from Austria.
He added that he was optimistic about the development because these partnerships would help Turkish producers create new jobs, increase their capacity and improve the quality of their shoes.
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