1. IKEA tosendlocalfurnitureabroad
IKEA, theSweden-basedglobalretailchain, is
preparingtolaunchgoodsproducedbyTurkishfurnituremanufacturersacrossinternationalmarkets, accordingto a
top executive of thelocalunit.
“Turkey is one of theleadingmarkets in terms of yieldinggrowthfor IKEA.
Wearealreadyplanningtoopentwomorestores in thenextfiveyears, in additiontothefive IKEA
storeswealreadyhave here,” said General Manager Fuat Atalay at a pressmeeting in Istanbul yesterday.
“WeaimtoexportTurkishfurniturewithSwedishdesignsandmarketing it globally,
alongwithproductionfromSweden, Poland andRomania,” Atalay toldthe Daily News. A
fewmanufacturersareundergoing a qualitytestingperiodforthecompany, he added.
TheSwedishfirmalreadyexports a number of Turkishproducts, includingceramics, china,
textileproductsandaccessories. Total exports of Turkishproductsthrough IKEA reachedapproximately $500
millionlastyear, upfrom $200 million in 2003, accordingto Atalay. “Weaimtoincreasethisvolumeto $900 million
in five-years’ time,” he said. ThecompanycouldeasilyreachthistargetifTurkishfurniturewereto be availablefrom
IKEA shops in nearfuture.
As of Novemberlastyear, the lira depreciationsupportedthecountry’soverallexportsperformance, particularly in
thefurnituresector, Chief Economist of BGC Partners Özgür Altuğ said.
Furnitureproduction in Turkey posted a 15.3percentrise in November, validatingthelevel of
domesticeconomicactivityandsuccess in exportscomparedwiththesamemonthlastyear, Altuğ
toldinvestorsrecently. However, Atalay saidthecompanywasaffectedbythelira’sweakperformance as it
depreciatedabout 18 percentlastyearagainstthe U.S. dollar. “Still, wehave not changedourpricesannounced in
Septemberlastyearfor 2012,” he said.

2. Atalay saidtheSwedishcompanyperformsbetter in Europeanstorescomparedwiththose in Turkey, despite an
ongoingeconomiccrisisacrossthecontinentandslowdown in domesticdemand.
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