Speaking yesterday at a conference organized by the Shopping Center Investors’ Association (AYD), Yalçıntaş shared his assessments on a bill on shopping malls, large stores and chain stores that was prepared in 2001 and was recently brought to the agenda. He said the bill should neither harm small shops nor curb the further development of malls. “We should find a balance between ongoing modernization and small shops,” he added. İTO has been conducting a study to find a common solution by gathering sector representatives from both sides, Yalçıntaş stated.
The idea of a shopping mall is not new to Turkey, he said, citing İstanbul’s Kapalıçarşı (Grand Bazaar) and Mısır Çarşısı (Spice Bazaar) as early examples of malls. “Malls directly employed some 450,000 people last year, while also providing jobs to some 1.35 million workers indirectly. All these figures together account for 2 percent of total employment in the country,” he said. AYD President Hakan Kodal, also speaking at the conference, stated that any restrictions placed on the business hours of malls would pose a great danger for the sector, which is still ailing due to the aftereffects of the recent financial crisis.
