New approach for Turkey’s leather garment producers
The economic slowdown hit the Turkish leather garment sector hard in 2009 and it seems manufacturers will need to alter their approach if they are to survive.
According to the Turkish Leather Garment Producers’ Association, many firms within the industry closed last year as the downturn continued to affect demand. However, the association believes dropping prices at retail could help to prevent any more companies going under.
President of the association, Ramazan Hazar, said: "We don't want to dismiss our workers, but our members will have to decrease their prices. Before the crisis our capacity usage was 60% but for the last one and a half years it has dropped down to 30%."
The sector employs approximately 207,000 workers in Turkey and contributes around $2.5 billion to its economy.
