Identifying the top retail chains in Turkey where you can sell your products is relatively easy. Approaching and convincing them is a much bigger challenge.
It may be a better strategy to find a distributor first who can help you to get your products in smaller chains or individual stores, and then help you to get to the big names. Or to start online.
In this article you will find more information on the retail market and guidance on how to convince retailers and distributors to work with you.
Turkey, straddling Eastern Europe and Western Asia, has a population of about 85 million as of 2023. The country is known for its unique blend of Eastern and Western cultures, historical sites from the Byzantine and Ottoman eras, and diverse landscapes.
The Turkish economy, with a GDP per capita of approximately $9,000 USD in 2023, is driven by a mix of industry, agriculture, and services. Key industries include textiles, automotive, and electronics, while agriculture focuses on crops like tobacco, cotton, and fruits. Tourism is also significant, attracting visitors to destinations like Istanbul, Antalya, and Cappadocia.
Major cities include Istanbul, a historic and economic hub; Ankara, the capital and a political center; Izmir, a major port and commercial city; Antalya, a leading tourist destination; and Bursa, known for its historical significance and automotive industry.
BIM: BIM is the largest supermarket retail chain in Turkey, with a turnover of €7.05 billion in 2021. Established in 1995, it operates around 9,760 stores, offering products at low prices, focusing mainly on food and household essentials.
Migros: Migros, dating back to 1954, is the second-largest chain with a turnover of €5.65 billion in 2021. It runs multiple banners, including M, MM, MMM, 5M, Kipa, Macro Center, and Migros Jet, totaling 3,004 outlets.
SOK Market: With a turnover of €2.84 billion in 2021, SOK Market ranks third and is known for its customer-centric approach. Founded in 1995, it has expanded to 10,281 outlets.
Metro C&C: Operating under the Metro banner, this wholesaler caters to a different market segment with an estimated turnover of €1 billion in 2021. Metro C&C has 34 outlets in Turkey.
Carrefour: French retailer Carrefour operates under several banners in Turkey, including Carrefour Express, Carrefour Hypermarket, and Champion. It entered the Turkish market in 1993 and now has 850 stores, with a turnover of €936 million in 2021.
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If you have a consumer product that you can’t sell directly from your home country to your end customer, you need at least one step in between. This can be a distributor (who also acts as wholesaler or importer), a big retailer directly, or it can be a large web shop. Let’s look at the pro’s and con’s of each option.
You should put a lot of emphasis on drafting a good distributor pitch. Even if you already have great sales materials for your end-users, this often does not make clear what the benefits are for a potential agent, distributor or retailer to work with you.
When you approach potential sales channels with your standard documentation, chances are high that they are holding of. If you make it crystal clear what are the benefits for them, like in the example presentation, you will get a much higher response rate.
Please note that it helps to put concrete data in your presentation. You may think it is sensitive, but just know the secret is in how you achieve the rotation or the low returns level, not in the data itself. So share it here, in order to get the right attention.
Distributors are risk averse, they know the portfolio they have and tend to be happy with it. They can’t just add a product or service to their range, since it will cannibalize on others: