TURKISH TRADE NEWSLETTER
March 2010 - Issue 11
Buyfromturkey.org website launched
Buyfromturkey.org web portal has been launched by General Secretariat of Istanbul Mineral and Metal Exporters’ Association (IMMIB) aiming to match international buyers with their right counterparts in Turkey. The web portal is designed to match international buyers with reliable Turkish exporters directly and easily. Login, email and SMS delivery services are provided free of charge.
Currently, there are 26 main categories in the portal, but others are being added periodically. Accesing and using the page is very easy and quick. You can find an alphabetical list of the sectors, such as electrical household appliances, iron-steel products and natural stones among others, in addition to the custom searches the user can generate. Both windows will take the user to a list of companies, their contact information and links to email and SMS.
For more information on buyfromturkey.org visit the website at www.buyfromturkey.org.
Atatürk airport named 'best airport in southern Europe'
March 24, 2010
ISTANBUL - Turkey's Istanbul Atatürk Airport landed the award for "Best Airport in Southern Europe" at a ceremony held by Skytrax, a Britain-based research group, on Tuesday.
A statement by TAV Airports Holding, the operator of Atatürk Airport, said on Wednesday that the Skytrax World Airport Awards were announced in Brussels and Atatürk Airport won "Best Airport" for southern Europe as a result of research conducted by Skytrax. TAV Istanbul Director General Kemal Ünlü accepted the award at the ceremony.
Spain's Barcelona Airport was the second best airport in the region and Madrid Airport third.
Atatürk Airport is the major international airport in Istanbul, Turkey. Located in Yeşilköy, on the European side of the city, it is 24 kilometers west of the city center. The airport is named in honor of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of the Republic of Turkey. With total passenger traffic of 30 million for 2009, it was among the top 40 airports in the world in terms of total passenger traffic and top 20 in terms of international passenger traffic. It is Europe's ninth busiest airport.
Investors all around world to gather in Istanbul
March 22, 2010
Around 300 investors and financiers all around the world will converge in Istanbul in April. The European Business Angels Network (EBAN) will hold its annual congress at Istanbul's WOW Hotel on April 15-16.
This will be the first time an EBAN congress will take place in Turkey.
The tenth annual congress of EBAN will bring together members of biggest investment and finance organizations in Europe.
With the title of "A cross-road for continents, cultures and early stage investors", this year's event will be hosted by the Middle East Technical University's Technopolis' business angel network (METUTECH-BAN).
The event aims to share best practices, raise awareness and build relations among thousands of investors and other financial actors involved in closing the equity gap and interested in collaborating and investing together.
Germany, Italy, France, Portugal, Netherlands and Spain have hosted the congress since 2000. The European trade association for business angels, seed funds, and other early stage market players, EBAN serves business angels, business angel networks, seed funds and other early stage investment professionals across Europe.
It brings together over 100 member organisations in 27 countries today. EBAN is the networking platform enabling its members to stay on top of trends in the early stage investment market in Europe, build new relationships, new business opportunities by networking with peers across border, get answers to day-to-day challenges, access the resource center and get ongoing capacity building opportunities, and be represented under one voice representing the interests of early stage investors near European policy makers.
Turkey: a fashion hub, according to Financial Times
March 20, 2010
TURKEY - According to an article on Financial Times, Turkey is becoming the new fashion hub in many ways. Proven by the recent Fashion Week held in Istanbul, Turkey is a vibrant economy, with a very strong textile manufacturing basis and potential for authentic and unique designs.
In some ways, it has been Turkey-time for a few years already, at least when it comes to fashion manufacturing: Hugo Boss, Burberry, Donna Karan and Paul Smith, as well as high-street names such as Next and Marks & Spencer, all happily display “made in Turkey” labels in their clothing. This month Harvey Nichols and Demsa, a leading retail group in Turkey, signed an agreement for the development of a Harvey Nichols store in Ankara.
Turkey’s production techniques and easy access to global distribution points have helped it to export more than £7bn of clothing a year. The difference now, as Burak Celet, chief executive of the Turkish leather goods company Desa, says, is : “Turkey is moving beyond manufacturing.” Turkey’s reputation as the go-to place for designer brands to outsource their manufacturing will remain, believes Desa’s Burak Celet, as long as those brands don’t move to cheaper production venues in Vietnam or Bangladesh. “Offering design as well as manufacturing to these brands is another service. But ultimately we have to reach out to the consumer with our own collections.”
Turkey’s location at the crossroads of east and west may be a real asset in this quest, as it provides an understanding of both markets. Some believe Istanbul fashion week has the potential to become a major fashion week alongside Paris and Milan within five years, precisely because it could prove the ideal location for global fashion buyers. “Istanbul is a hub for different cultures, and the same could be true for an increasingly global fashion marketplace,” points out Tween’s Güner Ikik.
Turkey remains fifth biggest market in EU in 2009
March 18, 2010
TURKEY - Turkey remained in the fifth place in 2009 on a list of the largest markets in the European Union and the country was the seventh biggest trade partner for the Union, Eurostat, EU Commission's statistics body, said on Thursday.
Eurostat said Turkey's imports from the EU countries were down 19 percent in 2009 to 43.9 billion euros as the country's exports to the Union dropped by 22 percent to 36.1 billion euros. Trade volume between the candidate country and Union fell to 80 billion euros from 100 billion in 2008.
The United States was the biggest trade partner for the EU with 204.5 billion euros. Turkey followed Japan which came sixth on the EU's list of trade partners with business worth of 55.8 billion euros.
Medical-tourism conference’s success in Chicago
March 12-13, 2010
CHICAGO - The Turkish American Chamber of Commerce Midwest, or TACCI-Midwest, organized its second medical-tourism conference to present partnership opportunities and offer solutions to Turkey’s healthcare industry. The Second Annual Chicago Medical Tourism Conference, took place between March 12 and 13 in Chicago, amid a healthcare crisis in the United States and growing globalization trends worldwide.
Titled “Globalization and Model Partnership in Healthcare: United States and Turkey,” the event introduced Turkey as an alternative medical-tourism destination, a place “where top-quality affordable care can be combined with holiday options,” according to the introductory note on the event. The two-day event will feature special presentations, exhibits and performances.
The conference also served as the official North American launch of the “Patients Beyond Borders Turkey Edition,” published by Healthy Travel Media, according to the Web site of the consumer reference guide for medical tourism.
“Turkey now has 36 JCI-accredited hospitals, more than any other country in the world,” said Josef Woodman, author of “Patients Beyond Borders,” referring to the Joint Commission International, or JCI, which certifies healthcare organizations. “Turkey’s superior healthcare infrastructure, relatively short flying times and breathtaking beauty are attracting an estimated 200,000 medical tourists each year from the U.S., Canada, Europe and the Middle East,” Woodman added.
In addition, Turkish Airlines announced its launch of 25 percent discount for any patient, and up to two companions who travel to Turkey for medical.
Intel supports R&D facilities in Turkish Universities
March 12, 2010
TURKEY - Semiconductor giant Intel will support Turkey’s Middle East Technical University‘s (METU) Microelectric Mechanic Systems (MEMS) Research and Application Center by supplying USD 2.5 million worth of equipment to the facility. The company will also provide support for the Energy Efficiency Project of METU and Polar Codes Project of Bilkent universities. Speaking at the press conference marking the event, Alpaslan Korkmaz, President of the Investment Support and Promotion Agency of Turkey (ISPAT) said Turkey has taken important steps in R&D studies over the past few years and has proven to be a viable location for R&D investments with its advanced infrastructure and qualified work force. Speaking at the press conference, Intel Turkey’s General Manager Cigdem Ertem said Intel’s R&D expenditures exceed USD 6 billion annually and that 25 percent of this amount is allocated for developing future technologies. The equipment Intel provides will be used to supplement the ongoing R&D projects and increase production capacities.
Ford to invest USD 150 million in Turkey
March 11, 2010
KOCAELI - Ford Otosan, one of the leading car manufacturers in Turkey, will recruit 210 new engineers while investing USD 150 million in its Golcuk plant. Stating that the company will remain focused on R&D efforts, Ford Otosan General Manager Nuri Otay said, “We will increase the number of employees in our R&D labs.” The company is aiming to reach USD 2.5 billion of exports in 2010, and will also up its production by 18 percent to 205,000 units from the current level of 174,000 units.