Retail Sector in Turkey: Main Turkish Players

INDEX

1 TURKISH RETAIL SECTOR 1

1.1 Historical Perspective 1

1.2 Trade Styles in Turkey 5

1.2.1 Traditional Trade 5

1.2.2 Modern Trade 5

1.3 Market Structure 7

1.4 Distribution Channels 8

1.5 Competition 8

1.6 Organized Food Retail Sector 9

2 MAIN PLAYERS 10

2.1 Migros T.A.Ю. 10

2.1.1 History of Migros T.A.Ю. 11

2.1.2 Objective and Mission of Migros T.A.Ю. 13

2.1.3 Internal Environment 13

2.1.4 SWOT Analysis 17

2.2 Gima T.A.Ю. 18

2.2.1 History of Gima T.A.Ю. 18

2.2.2 Objective and Mission of Gima T.A.Ю. 18

2.2.3 Internal Environment Gima T.A.Ю. 19

2.2.4 SWOT Analysis 25

2.3 Tansaю A.Ю. 28

2.3.1 History of Tansaю A.Ю. 28

2.3.2 Objective and Mission of Tansaю A.Ю. 31

2.3.3 Internal Environment of Tansas A.Ю. 31

2.3.4 SWOT Analysis of Tansaю A.Ю. 35

2.4 Other Main Players in Turkish Retail Sector 39

2.4.1 Metro Group 39

2.4.2 CarrefourSA 41

2.4.3 Tesco Kipa 43

3 COMPARISON of MIGROS, GIMA and TANSAS 45

3.1 Customer Profile 45

3.2 Reasons to be Preferred 47

3.3 Financial Comparison 48

4 PROJECTIONS and RECOMMENDATIONS 49

4.1 Projections 49

4.2 Recommendations 50

5 REFERENCES 51

1 TURKISH RETAIL SECTOR

1.1 Historical Perspective

In order to define retailing, it should be considered from various perspectives, to demonstrate its impact, and its special characteristics. Retailing entails the business activities involved in selling goods and services to consumers for their personal, family, or household use.

Today, it is at an interesting crossroad, with many challenges ahead. Retailing may be viewed from multiple perspectives. It includes tangible and intangible items, does not have to use a store, and can be conducted by manufacturers and others -- as well as by retail firms.

Retailing is the last stage in a distribution channel, which contains the businesses and people involved in physically moving and transferring ownership of goods and services from producer to consumer. In a channel, retailers perform valuable functions as intermediaries for manufacturers, wholesalers, and final consumers. They collect product assortments from various suppliers and offer them to customers. They communicate with both customers and other channel members.

Retailers and their suppliers have complex relationships because the retailers serve two roles. They are part of a distribution channel aimed at the final consumer; and they are major customers for their suppliers. Channel relations are smoothest with exclusive distribution; they are most volatile with intensive distribution. Selective distribution combines aspects of both in an attempt to balance sales goals and channel member cooperation.

Retailing has several special characteristics. The average sales transaction is small. Final consumers make many unplanned purchases. Most customers visit a store location.

The marketing concept should be understood and used by all retailers. This concept requires a firm to have a customer orientation, use a coordinated effort, and be value-driven and goal-oriented. Unfortunately, despite its ease of use, many firms do not adhere to one or more elements of the retailing concept.

The total retail experience consists of all the elements in a retail offering that encourage or inhibit consumers during their contact with a given retailer. Some elements are controllable by a retailer; others are not. Customer service includes identifiable, but sometimes intangible, activities undertaken by a retailer in association with the basic goods and services sold. It has an effect on the total retail experience, and consists of two components -- expected services and augmented services. In relationship retailing, a firm seeks long-term bonds with customers, rather than acting like each sales transaction is a totally new encounter with them.

The retailing sector in Turkey has developed rapidly since the 1980s with significant changes both in economic and social structures. Two decades of liberalization of the Turkish economy, stimulated by its Customs Union with the European Union (1996), have freed Turkish entrepreneurial dynamism.

Rising income levels, a high urbanization rate, an increase in the number of working women, the influence of Western life style - all these have caused a radical change in attitudes and consumption patters supporting the development of the retail sector.

Up until 1990, the retail sector in Turkey consisted of traditional stores. In the case of food this included grocers and open town bazaars, while for clothing, boutiques, all of which were concentrated within the city centers. After 1990, supermarkets started to be opened, something, which heralded the beginning of an organized retailed sector.

After that, a number of clothing retailers opened e.g. YKM and Ð--arsi. Following this, a number of big retailers began trading in Istanbul. The first of them was Metro, followed by Migros, part of Koc Holding's (one of the biggest companies that operates across almost all sectors including manufacturing and marketing), which started to open hypermarkets.

The population of urban areas in Turkey is increasing. Hence, the