Trade with Russia gives Turkish leather industry a boost
According to industry observers in Turkey, the leathergoods industry has benefited a great deal from trade with Russia over the last 15 years.
The country exported leathergoods and footwear worth $276 million in 2009. However, Russian visitors to Turkey are perhaps even more instrumental in increasing leathergoods sales. It is believed that tourists to the country, most of whom visited Istanbul, bought leathergoods worth between $300 and $400 million last year, taking into account retail and wholesale sales. This type of sale is known as ‘luggage trade’ in Turkey.
Moreover, to put an end to the problems some Russian buyers have experienced when trying to pass through Russian customs with their purchases, a number of Turkish entrepreneurs are in the process of setting up large shopping centres in Rostov, St Petersburg and Moscow. These stores will offer a range of Turkish leather garments, footwear and home furnishings.
