Speaking to the Anatolia news agency on Sunday, Özdemir said MOL was drawing attention because it was largely deemed to be the most innovative business idea in recent times. A total of 348 manufacturers and 78 ready-wear companies merged their sales units as a means of counteracting falling demand during the global financial crisis and started selling their products with discounts of up to 90 percent in specially designed MOL stores. It has flourished in a matter of a few months, with 17 stores in Turkey. The company also has plans to open up to abroad. A number of international capitalists, especially from the Gulf and Europe, are looking for investments in the textile sector in Turkey, he said.
Credit Suisse and JPMorgan Chase see MOL as an important future partner and are supporting MOL’s investments in Europe, Özdemir noted. “We will open nine MOL stores in Germany, in Dortmund, Frankfurt and Köln, in cooperation with Credit Suisse, JPMorgan and three other investors. These investors have real estate in Germany and are investing on our behalf,” he said. Entrepreneurs have even called us from the Hawaiian Islands to make a joint investment there, he added, showing the extent of foreign interest.
“As MOL, we are now passing to phase two. We will no longer be a company that tries to deplete the stocks of its member companies but a group that determines the fashion and trends,” he said.
MOL also has plans to open a 9,000-square-meter store in Saudi Arabia, Özdemir said and called this step an important initiative for the Turkish textile industry. He specifically praised the contribution of the Turkish soap operas in the promotion of Turkish products in Saudi Arabia. “The only condition the Saudis asked of us was to bring the leading actors and actresses of the Turkish soap operas to the opening ceremony.” Özdemir noted that they have started talks with 12 actors and will most likely convince them to participate in the opening.
