Union of Chambers and Commodity Exchanges of Turkey

In his speech, Hisarcıklıoğlu referring to the works of the chambers and exchanges community, said, “We vouch for our members through the Credit Guarantee Fund in these difficult times. There is nothing like it anywhere in the world.”

Congratulating Turkey Retailers Federation for “Local Chains Come Together,” Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “I would like to thank everyone for their contributions, starting with Mr. Altunbilek. Thank you for everything you’ve done.” Expressing that they are in constant consultation with the government, Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed to the employment mobilization initiated under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, stating that unprecedented support has been brought to life and that it has achieved a historical success creating new avenues of employment for ​​1.5 million people. “The government, seeing our successes, extended support until the end of 2020. The monthly 100TRY support for minimum wage continues. You just pay the salary when you hire new personnel.”

TOBB President M. Rifat Hisarcıklıoğlu stated that the employers were treated unfairly in long-standing cases in the labor courts. Hisarcıklıoğlu pointed out that mediation has entered into force as of the beginning of the year, stating that 68% of the 22,000 files in the first 3 months ended in agreements.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said that they were launching the second wave of Respite Credits with an annual interest rate of 11.88%, underlining that they are vouching for the loans of 354,000 companies through the Credit Guarantee Fund.

Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “On the other hand, there are practices that are causing unfair competition and disrupting our industry. Discount stores, 'private label' branded products are preventing both the growth and branding of our SMEs. We urge branding but inadvertently prevent it. These things need to be under control. We know that our government is sensitive to the needs of the real sector. One of the boons for our retail industry is that there is a working, visionary Minister who came from within the business community and knows us best. The Minister of the real sector and our community, Mr. Bülent Tüfenkci. He is both in command of his field and modest. He listens to our troubles. We consult and seek solutions together. This gives us a big morale boost. On behalf of the business community, I would like to thank the minister, our bureaucrats and his colleagues.”

- The future is e-commerce

Stating that TOBB supports every initiative that will develop the retail industry, TOBB President Hisarcıklıoğlu emphasized that retail means domestic consumption, constituting 60% of the economy. Speaking about the fact that retail is both the locomotive and the leading indicator of the economy, Hisarcıklıoğlu said, “This sector knows the course of the economy the best. On the other hand, you also lead in employment. You have the most registered employees. So every step that will strengthen you and the sector spreads to the whole economy. We must keep that in mind as well. Technologically, it cannot keep up. The future is e-commerce. There are great opportunities ahead. You can reach 70 million people in Turkey through mobile. We are the 17^th largest economy in the world. But we are 49^th in e-commerce. The share of e-commerce in Turkey is only 2%. We must be entrepreneurial and brave about this. Local chains have these 2 features already. In the last 5 years, the volume of e-commerce grew by a 30% average per year in Turkey. The market size of online retailing reached 20 billion TRY last year. Last year, 1 out of every 4 people shopped over the internet. And this rate continues to increase. It is a vision which befits my country, which aims to enter the world's top 10 major economies.”

- Customs and Commerce Minister Bülent Tüfenkci

The Customs and Commerce Minister Bülent Tüfenkci said, “Wholesale and retail trade generate about 90 billion USD of value-added production in Turkey's economy. This figure represents a greater economic value than the gross domestic product of 126 countries.”

Tüfenkci attended Local Chains Come Together and gave his assessments about the retail sector.

Tüfenkçi, stating that significant progress, changes and transformations have taken place in Turkey's retail sector in recent years, said, “The wholesale and retail trade generate about 90 billion USD of value-added production in Turkey's economy. This figure represents a greater economic value than the gross domestic product of 126 countries.”