Uncontrolled growth in malls is killing merchants in Turkey: Confederation
ANKARA
The rapid and uncontrolled growth in shopping malls in Turkey over the past few years has severely hit merchants and tradesmen, the head of a leading confederation has said.
Confederation of Merchants and Craftsmen (TESK) head Bendevi Palandöken called for the introduction of government measures to address the negative impact of this alarming trend in Turkey’s retail sector.
“We need to take measures immediately, as our merchants have been rapidly losing their power against malls and retail chains. The opening of so many malls and retail chains in an uncontrolled and unplanned manner has hit merchants and tradesmen. Measures must be adopted and strict standards must be introduced in this field. Otherwise many more tradesmen will have to close their doors,” Palandöken said in a statement on March 4.
“Where else in the world are malls open 14 hours a day?” he added.
“We want Turkey’s malls to be closed during weekends,” Palandöken added, urging the importance of fair competition rules for small retailers.
“What’s more, some of these malls are closing down just 10 years after their construction, creating a serious waste of resources, as a natural consequence of this unplanned development,” he said.
With the completion of 44 under-construction malls, the number of malls is set to reach 445 across Turkey 2020. Istanbul is the province with the highest number of malls, with 136 malls set to be operating in the city by 2020.
