Istanbul’s İstiklal Avenue bustling with shoppers

Gamze Şener-ISTANBUL

İstiklal Avenue, Istanbul’s famous pedestrian street, is bustling with shoppers these days, with dozens of fashion and cosmetics stores and eateries remaining open until 3 a.m. in the morning.

Locals mostly visit İstiklal Avenue during the day, but by night tourists, many of them from Middle Eastern countries, flock to the 1.4 kilometers long street to do shopping, take a stroll, or eat.

In the first six months of 2023, foreign tourists visiting Türkiye spent $2.7 million on clothes and shoes and another $631 million on souvenirs. Their food expenditures amounted to $4.2 billion.

Turkish brands have been keeping their stores open until late hours over the past years, with employees working in two shifts. There is always something for everyone. Some people stop by the stores to buy fancy clothes before starting to enjoy İstiklal’s vibrant nightlife, while regular consumers visit cosmetics shops.

“İstiklal Avenue is a special place. It is a 24-hour street, attracting foreigners as well,” said Sinan Öncel, the president of the United Brands Association (BMD), adding that on the famous streets of China’s Guangzhou or Spain’s Barcelona stores close after midnight.

“Apparently, stores [on İstitkal Avenue] are doing good business, and that’s why they want to keep shops open till late hours.”

Prices are affordable, said Sarah Benlamlih from Tunisia, who is on a holiday in Türkiye with her family.

“We will stay here for a week. We have been shopping since we arrived, buying clothes and cosmetics products. It would be much easier for shoppers if the metro runs until 2 a.m. or even later,” she said.

A French tourist said they did not know the stores were open at night. “We definitely want to have this experience.”

Employees of the stores have created a chat group on WhatsApp with the police against theft and for security reasons.

“Every tourist, who arrives in Istanbul, certainly visits İstiklal Avenue. Some of them buy only one item while others leave the stores loaded,” said sales representatives of various stores.

There are no major security issues in İstiklal Avenue, they said, noting that stores have their own security personnel and that there are also lots of police officers on the street who stand ready to intervene if anything happens.

Consumers stop by stores that are open at night after shopping centers close, said Mete Yurddaş, general manager of Watsons Türkiye.

“Depending on their locations, our outlets, which are open at night, generate 10 percent to 15 percent additional turnover,” he said.

Vahap Küçük, the board chair of LC Waikiki, said that they have been keeping the stores open at night over the past couple of years.

“We continue to do so because we are happy with how sales go.”

People from Middle Eastern countries usually shop at night, as they prefer resting during the day, he added.

During winter, they close stores earlier because there are fewer foreign tourists in İstiklal Avenue, Küçük said.