Even though consumer confidence has been decreasing since March, according to GfK Türkiye's Consumer Confidence Index Survey, suggesting a high propensity to save, markets were still active during Ramadan despite the economic crisis. As the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year falls just after Eid al-Fitr, most retailers are quite happy with recent sales figures and expect a boost in their revenue as people flock to stores for both the feast and school shopping at the same time.
Aytaç Özçiçek, the general manager of the Olivium shopping mall, İstanbul's first outlet center, claimed that the number of customers visiting the mall recently and overall sales had increased by some 10 percent over the same period of last year. With demand for outlet stores peaking amid the ongoing financial crisis, Özçiçek noted that some of their stores had even seen a rise of 50 percent in sales compared to last year.
Baklava, a traditional dessert, is a sine qua non to offer guests for many Turkish families during Eid. Baklava producers from southeastern Gaziantep province, famous for its baklava, are very pleased with the boom in demand for the sweet. Speaking to the Anatolia news agency, Şırvan Payaslı, who has been producing baklava for 35 years, said sales reach a peak just a few days before Eid. Expressing pleasure in increasing demand, Payaslı said he has been working hard for a week to meet demand. “We are working 24 hours a day. We receive orders from İstanbul and other cities as well,” he said.
Another factor leading locals to flock to the stores is the approaching start of the 2009-2010 school year. Parents in a hurry to prepare their children for school were a boon for sales of school supplies. According to data provided by the head of the Bursa Bar Association's Consumer Rights Commission, Okan Dursun, the students' share of the stationery market is estimated to be $1.5 billion. Sixty to 70 percent of this amount is spent by parents in September, a time when the market sees a significant upswing.
Shop owners selling school uniforms in the Yüzüncü Yıl area of Ankara's Ulus neighborhood say parents started purchasing uniforms for their children last week. Mustafa Afşin told Anatolia that customer tendencies vary as some prefer high-quality products at higher prices, while others prefer more economical options. Afşin said the price of uniforms for elementary school students ranges between TL 15 and TL 20, while high school uniforms can be found for TL 45-70.
