Shoe consumption behind Europe at 2.5 pairs a year

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Shoes are displayed in a sector fashion show in Istanbul. Turkey’s footwear market is promising as it is not saturated yet, says a prominent retailer. DHA photo

Turks lag behind Europeans in shoe consumption, purchasing an average 2.5 pairs per year, according to estimated figures revealed by Turkish shoe maker Ziylan Group yesterday.

Shoe consumption per person is 5.5 pairs a year in Europe and 7 in the United States. This may reflect the shoe market in Turkey’s potential to grow, said Jaklin Güner, the CEO of Ziylan.

The estimated figures for Turkey’s shoe sales volume were 3.2 billion euros in 2012. Women’s shoe sales made up 42 percent of the sales, men’s shoes represented 41 percent and 17 percent came from children’s shoes. Over 200 million pairs of shoes are sold in Turkey annually, at an average of 36.9 Turkish Liras.

$59 a year

According to 2011 data, while the annual average expense per person for shoe consumption was $143.9 in Europe, it was only $59 in Turkey. Turkey’s average is close to Eastern European countries such as Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, and quite a distance from developed countries such as Norway, who ranked first with a $330.4 average.

Güner said they expect higher growth in the shoe sector this year, largely comprised of consumption expenses. It is estimated that the modern retail sector has grown between 7 and 10 percent. The rate of the shoe sector in the total retail sector is anticipated to be 1.2 percent in 2013, and 2.3 percent in the non-food retail sector. Ziylan has researched trends in the retail sector that showed the lower-middle class moving into the upper-middle class bracket, and says this growth will require increases in brand choices, changes in lifestyles, fashion perceptions, shopping habits and advanced technology. While Turkey’s average age is now 29.7, the population over 60 years old will increase from 6.6 million to 23.8 million between 2010 and 2050, said Güner, stressing that retail brands should adapt to this new period.

The company added that there was a gap in shoe sector research that prevented it from accessing certain data. It established an agreement with an international research company to begin shoe market research this year, executives said.