The Middle East Industry

Turkey’s industry includes a wide variety of manufacturers, primary producers and traders, responsible between them for a major share of the country’s GDP. Indeed, in 2014, exports by the entire automotive industry (including components) alone reached $22.27bn – more than the entire GDP of Iceland.

Turkey is one of the world’s top gold and jewellery exporters, sending manufactured pieces and fine precious metals and stones to many regional countries as well as further afield. The country imports a great deal of these valuable commodities and products, while its domestic market is a robust one – for both the buying and selling of gold, diamonds and jewellery. There is a...

Sharia-compliant insurance, or takaful, is set to grow in Turkey, with its predominantly Muslim population showing increasing interest in Islamic finance products and the government keen to support their growth. Insurance of any kind can be a hard sell in Turkey, with the population generally averse to insurance cover and penetration levels as low as 1.4%, according to...

With the size of the market widely expected to double over the next decade, Turkey represents a major opportunity for retailers. Yet with recent years seeing big internationals pulling out or downsizing their participations, and as the pace of economic growth slows, consumer confidence is weakening and some challenges do remain. At the same time though, local groups have...

While the economic downturn in neighbouring Europe affected Turkey’s automotive industry negatively in the years after 2008 – as its largest export market shrank – 2013 saw some signs of a recovery north of the border, with a concomitant boost to European sales. European car sales grew in 2014 and early 2015, with the vast majority of Turkey’s automotive exports destined for...