Off the shelf leather sales

Two Turkish footwear leather producers have come up with the idea of selling finished leathers off the shelf. At Yona Derecilik, a 70 year old Istanbul company, the phone rings constantly with short-order customer requests. They have about 100 steady customers but service is intermittent with one-off orders for about 200 more. They keep stocks of thousands of leathers, ready for immediate despatch or collection. They source most of them locally from one tannery. Another company, Kampana Deri, with a tannery in Tuzla and another in Menemen (Izmir), have also recently opened a take-away leather outlet in the atelier shoe district of Istanbul. Turkish producers are mainly catering to the mid-range group of shoe manufacturers and the tanners are sourcing their raw materials domestically. Tanneries no longer keep large stocks of leathers. 'Even high volume producers, such as Ziylan, regularly require small footages to accessorise footwear products', Aytan Halfon of Yona Derecilik explained. Financial advantages are just as crucial. Large tanneries prefer selling to close friends or trusted associates on credit terms. Untried newcomers must pay cash up front. Yona, however, accommodate credit customers. Nowadays that means about 8-9 months, 'or more', Halfon added. Slower markets make producers wary of non-moving stocks and shoe makers are thrilled with the convenience of a drop-in shopping outlet with a great selection ('We stock 11 shades of beige') and optimum credit terms.