“There is no obstacle for us to see Italy as a main market”
Italy is one of Türkiye’s most important trading partners. The fact that Türkiye is close to Italy and creates an important center for entering neighboring markets makes Türkiye an important investment and trade partner for Italy. It can be seen that Italian companies in Türkiye mainly focus on food, ready-made clothing, chemical products, electricalelectronics, machinery manufacturing, furniture, iron-steel, automotive in industrial sector; trade, tourism, communication, banking and investment finance in the service sector. Companies registered in Türkiye have more than 50 partnerships or subsidiaries in Italy. Especially in Northern Italy, many businesses owned by Turkish citizens operate. However, the businesses in question are smaller in size compared to businesses in other European countries. Italy is the second industrial country in Europe with its strategic and diversified sectors such as machineryequipment, fashion products, food, automotive and pharmaceuticals. The industrial sector, which represents 16.6 percent of Italian GDP, is highly export-oriented. According to data from the Italian Chambers of Commerce, the total number of active companies established in Italy is 5.1 million. 525 thousand of these companies operate in the manufacturing sector. When mining, energy supply companies and water supply companies are included in the industrial sector, this figure increases to 555 thousand. This structure of Italy also provides opportunities for complementary trade between Turkish and Italian companies. Especially in the export-based model to be realized in third countries, Italy's industry and R&D structure can enable the development of a joint production-based commercial model with
Türkiye’s strong SME structure.
Another business model opportunity for our Turkish companies in Italy could be the franchise model. The places where franchise networks are most concentrated in Italy are in Northern Italy (Lombardy and Veneto), especially in city centers, commercial areas and shopping malls. According to the data announced by the Italian Franchise Association (Associazione Italiana Franchising), which is a member of the European Franchise Federation, the number of companies providing franchises in Italy as of 2021 is 955, and the annual turnover of these companies exceeded 28.8 billion euros. These figures show good business opportunities for this business model.
“Made in Italy is preferred, but foreign products are in demand in ready-made clothing”
I think that our Turkish companies can overcome some hesitations about doing business in Italy by getting to know Italy better. For example, there is no obstacle for the textile industry, in which our country is also strong, to see Italy as its main market. When given the chance to choose, Italians prefer 'Made in Italy' products, but foreign products are also in demand, especially in the ready-made clothing sector. Innovations in the fashion industry are followed with interest. Most consumers shop from mass retailers and large companies, especially in larger cities.
According to a survey conducted by Nielsen, the rate of those who declared that they are open to changing their favorite brands, especially in case of interesting promotions, exceeded 45 percent. In this context, there are serious opportunities in
Italy for the Turkish business world based on reliable and quality product-based production.