Furniture firm to penetrate Chinese market with partner

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet

Çilek Mobilya plans to open 12 branches in Shanghai, China like the one above in Greece. Çilek has 440 stores globally. Hürriyet photo

Turkey’s furniture retailer Çilek Mobilya, which is present in more than 2 million homes in 66 countries, is getting ready to enter the Chinese market with a Singaporean partner, according to daily Hürriyet.

“We are going to open a branch on Shanghai’s most luxurious shopping avenue,” according to Çilek General Manager Muzaffer Çilek, who explained that the company would open a total of 12 branches in Shanghai and that Singapore-based labels were very popular in China.

“If we had partnered with a Chinese partner to extend our franchise, it would not have set us apart,” said Çilek.

Çilek Mobilya, which was established in 1996, focuses primarily on furniture geared towards babies, children and teenagers. According to Çilek, the company is export-oriented because the Turkish market is too small, and first exported to Switzerland. The company’s furniture designs aim to synthesize elements from East and West, and it has exported to countries as diverse as Mexico and Japan.

“In addition to Turkey we currently have 440 stores in 66 countries. Half of our 200 million Turkish Lira turnover comes from abroad. We have the most locations in Russia, but in 300 cities in across the globe we provide the same products,” said Çilek.

Çilek Mobilya custom makes its furniture to meet the needs of the different markets to which it exports, and has received all the necessary quality certificates. Furthermore, its furniture is designed to fit local measurement standards. For example, in the United States bed and closet measurements are longer, whereas in Japan fold out beds are a must. Çilek said that currently the U.S., Russia, Japan and the Arab countries prefer more luxury items, while European countries and North Africa are more interested in more mid-range products.

“We were forced to close some of our less lucrative stores, but we now think that Tunisia, Egypt and Libya will be better than they were before. Our export leaders are currently Kuwait, Russia, Germany, Iran and Iraq,” said Çilek.