Türkiye's top housewares association, the Turkish Housewares Association (ZÜCDER), is gearing up to open trade centers in Germany and the United States to boost exports, according to its chair on Monday.
"We have made our agreements regarding Germany. We will enable our members to open stores/warehouses in Germany with ZÜCDER pre-financing and government support and to grow in Germany, one of our biggest markets, through both online and traditional sales," Mesut Öksüz said at a news conference in Istanbul.
The U.S., as the world’s largest economy, is also the top purchaser of housewares, accounting for over 25% of global imports, Öksüz said.
"The share we get from the imports of this country is only around 0.3%, and it is very difficult to sell to those who do not have a warehouse in this country or who cannot meet certain standards," he said.
"Therefore, it is time for us to enter the world's largest market as an association, increasing the share of our members in this market with the deployment of our members in certain states of this country, and the joint warehouses we will open will be one of the primary goals of the coming period."
ZÜCDER also plans to create a digital program to boost employment in the sector and connect producers with major online marketplaces, Öksüz said.
He added that the digital platform would allow producers to arrange B2B meetings year-round.
The Turkish houseware sector closed last year with exports totaling $5.6 billion, resulting in a foreign trade surplus of $2.5 billion.
Öksüz also highlighted ZÜCDER's efforts to increase exports, citing 10 summits organized over the past six years and visits to countries, including Russia, the U.K. and Saudi Arabia.
