Markafoni in Turkey to close

SOUTH African media and internet giant Naspers will close its Turkish e-commerce and fashion company Markafoni at the end of June, it said yesterday, citing a challenging economic environment. Global investor enthusiasm for Turkey, which has a growing and young population with a median age of just over 30, has cooled amid rising security and political concerns despite its enviable demographics and growth potential. “Despite initial success, the business (Markafoni) is not scaling sufficiently to be sustainable, and in a challenging economic environment for this type of business the decision was taken to close,” Naspers said. Turkey’s growing e-commerce market was worth 24.7 billion lira (R91.44bn) in 2015, accounting for only 2 percent of total retail revenue, according to the Turkish Informatics Industry Association. Markafoni said that operations would cease on June 30. “We thank you for the support you have shown us since in 2008,” a statement on its website said. It did not give a reason for the closure, but media reports said the business has failed to turn a profit. Markafoni representatives were not immediately available for comment. Parent Naspers said the closure was a standalone decision and would have no impact on other Naspers companies and investments in Turkey, including OLX, Letgo, PayU and Delivery Hero. “We believe that Turkey remains a good growth opportunity for other businesses, which all continue to gain traction and scale,” Naspers said. – Reuters