TURKEY CONTINUES BOYCOTT OF FRENCH GOODS
Isa Sezen, Yahya Cark, Ercan Baysal, Mehmet Guler, Besir Sozer, Omer Sari
Zaman, Turkey
Oct 15 2006
Turkish consumers are launching a boycott of French goods following
the French parliament’s decision to pass the Armenian bill, which
foresees punishment of those denying an Armenian genocide. Some Turkish
citizens are refusing to buy products upon learning they are French.
Consumers associations called on consumers to boycott French goods
while some chain stores are putting labels on French goods to inform
consumers of their French origin.
Kiler, a leading retailer, has decided not to sell French goods. Afra
Shopping Center, a supermarket chain operating in Konya, is putting
labels on approximately 100 French products that read, "This is a
French product."
The French store Carrefour, a partnership in Turkey with Sabanci
Holdings, has been the most affected by the protests. The number of
cars parked at the shopping center has been declining daily. Fewer
customers are coming to the shopping center with every passing day.
There has been a 30 percent decrease in the sales of Total oil,
which is on top of the Consumers Association’s list.
French Goods Removed from Stores Kiler Retail Chain, which has 130
stores in Turkey, suspended sales of French products. The retailer
chain cancelled its contracts with Danone and French cosmetics
companies and also removed other French goods from their shelves.
Kiler, which means cellar in Turkish, will put posters criticizing the
bill approved by the French parliament on the shelves left empty by the
absent French products. Officials of the chain asserted that reactions
from their customers were highly influential in making this decision.
LC Waikiki: We are a Turkish Company
Clothing company LC Waikiki announced that it was not a French company
as presented to the public, but a Turkish company. The company issued
a full page announcement in daily newspapers in Turkey after its name
was mentioned on the list of products to be boycotted.
The company’s announcement asserted that they needed to explain
their origin after some Internet forums claimed they were French. The
announcement read, "LC Waikiki was purchased from French DDKA Company
by Tema Textile Corporation in 1997 and became a Turkish company."
Carrefour Parking Lot Empty
The number of customers at the French Carrefour in Turkey has decreased
dramatically. Some executives suggested that the decrease in the number
of visitors could be due to Ramadan, in addition to the protests. An
official from the Istanbul center said: "Normally, on Saturdays it
was impossible to find empty places in the parking lot and parking
garage. Yesterday our parking garage was almost empty."
Danone Products Returned
Onur Hypermarkets Beylikduzu location Manager Ekrem Yilmaz said that
people who bought Danone products were beginning to return them after
learning that Danone was a French company.
"There is no strong reaction yet. Some of our customers brought back
Danone products they had previously purchased. Some of them returned
them claiming the product had expired," said Yilmaz.