Turkish company shuts down Istanbul brewery factory ‘trapped in city center’

ISTANBUL

Turkey’s leading brewer Anadolu Efes has said it is suspending its brewing operations at a factory in central Istanbul and transferring these operations to other facilities, after the factory was “trapped in the city center” with rapidly expanding urbanization. 

In a statement to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP) on April 20, the company said it had decided to suspend its brewing operations in the Merter district of Istanbul as of May 22, 2017, in the interests of efficiency and within the framework of its environmental, economic and social sustainability strategy. It will be transferring these operations to other Anadolu Efes facilities in Adana, Ankara and İzmir, it added. 

“This decision was taken considering the environmental and logistic effects of our factory, which has become part of the city center due to urbanization,” read the statement. 

The company also said it is considering the relocation of employees at the Istanbul brewery to vacant positions in other locations. 

“If there are no adequate and suitable vacant positions, or if the employees would prefer to leave the company, all legal and personal rights of the redundant employees will be protected by the law,” it added. 

Anadolu Efes noted that it will be “considering options” about what to do with the land where the factory is currently located.

The share of the Merter factory in the company’s total capacity is 15 percent and with the decision to transfer the operations the capacity utilization rate is also aimed to increase, according to the statement. 

Anadolu Efes added that it will continue its brewing operations and sustainable growth with no interruption in its three breweries in Adana, Ankara and İzmir, two malteries in Afyon and Konya/Çumra, and a hops processing facility in Bilecik/Pazaryeri.