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Following an increase in government tariffs on textile imports, Turkish garment manufacturers—the third-largest apparel suppliers to Europe—face incre
Textile Sector: Apparel officials say the new taxes are squeezing the industry, which is among Turkey's biggest employers, supplying heavyweight European brands such as H&M, Mango, Adidas, Puma and Inditex.
Turkish clothing manufacturers, the third-largest suppliers of apparel to Europe, face higher production costs and risk falling further behind their Asian rivals after the government hiked taxes on textile imports, sector leaders say. Ankara raised tariffs by 30-100% on hundreds of incoming textile products last week, aiming to support local yarn and fabric manufacturers that appealed for support against a wave of cheaper imports.
Turkey's unusual request that its retailers partially freeze prices ahead of elections has prompted some supermarkets and industry groups to warn they could only do so for a short period.
After almost six months of public calls from President Tayyip Erdogan's government, the country's largest market chains began a month-long price freeze and some cut prices this month. Yavuz Altun, chief executive of 200-store chain Happy Center, said discounts for shoppers will depend on how much more the chain had to pay its suppliers.