Beşiktaş to turn Çarşı into a brand

ISTANBUL

Beşiktaş says it wants to turn Çarşı, its passionate supporter group into a profitable brand. Çarşı is known for its politically-engaged and humorous chants and banners. Hürriyet photo, Semih BAHADIR

Beşiktaş aims to to turn ‘Çarşı,’ the name of its passionate fan group, into a profitable brand. Çarşı is known for its politically-engaged and humorous chants and banners.

The Beşiktaş sports club is seeking to purchase the sleeping “Çarşı” brand, which currently belongs to retailer Boyner.

Coincidentally, the brand name is also the name of Beşiktaş’s passionate supporter group, which is known for its politically critical character.

Çarşı, which translates as “the market place,” takes its name from the central Beşiktaş Çarşı in the Istanbul district. The group’s politically-engaged and humorous chants and banners are an important part of Turkish football folklore.

Beşiktaş is willing to use Çarşı as a brand name, Metin Albayrak, head of the club’s Kartal Yuvası chain of stores, confirmed, but no bargain has started with Boyner Group, the official holder of the brand name.

“This is a long range plan,” Albayrak told the Hürriyet Daily News on the phone yesterday, adding that a restructuring process was already ongoing to develop current Kartal Yuvası stores.

The management plans to increase the revenues in these stores by 25 percent in its first year, Albayrak added.

The name Çarşı does not represents a limited group but “the whole Beşiktaş fans,” he said.

Contrary to media stories yesterday, no talks took place with Boyner chair Ümit Boyner, he also said.
The Boyner group also did not confirm yesterday reports about ongoing talks with the club.

Attempt more serious than ever, Çarşı leader says

Alen Markaryan, the leader of the group, confirmed that the idea had been on the table for the last five or six years, but the attempt looked more serious this time.

“This is what we have suggested in a bid to provide benefits for the club,” Markaryan said.

“The club has already been suffering from piracy,” Markaryan told the Daily News in a telephone interview yesterday.

“We are being accused [of benefiting from such things] despite the fact that we have nothing to do with money. We expect such a development would also be good for us.”

Çarşı stores were relaunched last year in May, after a seven years of absence, in a bid to give way to Boyner department stores, the public relations company representing Boyner said yesterday.

Ali Kayalar from Istanbul contributed to this report.