Not the easiest of markets to crack

Published: 16 May, 2004

Levi's, pioneers of fashion branding and a veteran in Türkiye, are restrained when it comes to offering their footwear range on this market.

Mehmet Gundogdu of Cemhan Turizm ve Tekstil San Tic Ltd Sirketi, Istanbul, distributes Levi's footwear brands, such as Red Tag, in Türkiye and the modest sales target is 150,000 pairs, consisting of around 50 designs for spring and summer 2004.

He also has the export licence for the Turkic Republic and 'stan' countries, such as Turkmenistan.

Items are available in selected Levi's outlets only and sold at Akmerkez, an award-winning retail mall in Istanbul. 'We don't want to weaken the brand by shuffling it with many others in retail windows', Gundogdu stated.

Gundogdu is not only mindful of copy cats but of less successful partnerships in Türkiye. Ecco, the Danish footwear makers, have failed to find a suitable distribution agreement for their upscale shoes.

UK retailer, Next, laid the groundwork for their footwear brand to be produced in Türkiye but ultimately opted for a European anchor in Portugal.