A first for the footwear industry. For the first time in its history, employers and employees broke their fast together. The street iftar, organized by TASEV, TASD, AYSAD, and AYMAKOOP, took place in front of the Aymakoop Trade Center. More than 3,000 workers and employers, along with representatives from all sectors, gathered for the iftar and broke their fast together. We extend our gratitude to all those who contributed to the iftar program, which was accompanied by prayers and a spirit of unity and solidarity.
Stating that the biggest threat to the shoe industry is the export of chrome-containing leather, TASD President and Aymakoop Board Member Süleyman Gürsoy said, “If our government does not take measures in this regard, we will soon be unable to find leather to produce shoes.”
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The Turkish footwear sector, which achieved $708 million in exports last year, has raised its target to $1 billion this year. Süleyman Gürsoy, President of the Turkish Shoe Manufacturers' Association (TASD), explained the footwear sector's goals, challenges, and his thoughts on chrome-plated (semi-finished leather) exports to Türkiye. Noting that Türkiye is a major importer of raw leather, Gürsoy stated that the biggest threat facing the footwear sector is the export of chrome-plated leather.
400 MILLION $ POTENTIAL
"We should sell chromed leather not in its raw form, but as shoes, bags, and jackets," said Gürsoy, continuing: "We buy precious leather and export it. Then, to make high-quality shoes from that leather, we go to foreign countries and buy it. If a foreigner buys it, they have to pay a price. Turkish leather ranks among the highest in the world in terms of quality. However, because we export chromed leather, we're left with the waste. We're forced to produce with low-quality leather imported from South Africa and Brazil. The current export figure for chromed leather is $42 million. If we processed and sold our own high-quality leather, we would export $400 million. Türkiye will soon be short of leather to produce high-quality shoes. For every kilogram of chromed leather exported, $1 should be transferred to a fund."
WE MUST INCREASE AWARENESS
TASD President Gürsoy, noting that Türkiye produces 350 million pairs of shoes annually, said, “An industry with 280,000 employees will reach its $1 billion export target this year. However, our manufacturers need to increase their global awareness before selling. International trade fairs are critical. Government incentives must be utilized effectively. It's impossible to reach the target by attending one trade fair. Attending at least three trade fairs abroad is essential. Awareness is the first step. Once we achieve this, sales will follow.”
We were very late in branding
Süleyman Gürsoy, noting that the Turkish footwear industry is lagging behind in branding, said, "We're quite late in this regard. Instead of branding, we should be buying brands. It's not enough to produce good shoes to become a brand. For example, to become a good brand, you need to spend €2 million and hold a fashion show in Milan. This requires culture, a strong financial structure, and time."
We should export more to the USA
Süleyman Gürsoy, reminding us that the US imports $34 billion worth of shoes annually, noted that Türkiye exports $8 million worth of shoes to the country annually, saying, "Americans only wear three colors of shoes: black, brown, and tan. It's impossible for us to enter this country with every product. We need to develop specialized products. We're getting a much lower share of the US pie than we aim for. We need to increase this share."
To apply for a new shop for rent in the new trade center, you can contact our management unit or simply fill out the form by clicking the link below.
The 2016 Ordinary General Assembly Meeting of the SS Istanbul Shoe and Subsidiary Industry Business Cooperative was held in the Conference Hall of the IOSB Presidency Building in the İkitelli region in May.
The 2016 Ordinary General Assembly Meeting of the SS Istanbul Shoe and Subsidiary Industry Business Cooperative was held in the Conference Hall of the IOSB Presidency Building in the İkitelli region in May.
The nine-item agenda was easily reviewed by members. Their questions regarding Item 8 were insightful and demonstrated their close monitoring of the Aymakoop cooperative's work.
With the motion submitted, İbrahim Orkun was elected as the Chairman of the Council; Durmuş Demirtaş and Mustafa Büyükölçü as the Clerk members; and Nevri İlhan, Hasan Duman and Şeyhmuz Bulut as the vote counting officers.
President Murta Göl, who read the Board of Directors report, addressed the board as follows: “Esteemed council, esteemed regional and sector presidents, and esteemed attendees, I hope we will all hold a beneficial general assembly. Although we are not yet legally obligated to do so, our cooperative has switched to e-archiving and e-invoicing. To demonstrate transparent management, we have made this practice mandatory for our cooperative. We hope that our successors will continue with this system. We have begun issuing e-invoices as of January 1, 2017,” he noted, adding that e-invoices will be sent to companies by email if they update their e-mail addresses.
We are conducting occupational health and safety studies. Our occupational safety specialist constantly inspects our site and advises us on any necessary actions. Because our site is constantly operating and active, we carry out maintenance and repair work. Damaged fire escapes, steps, and profiles were replaced; fire door hydraulics were inspected, repaired, and replaced. At our request, four malfunctioning hydrants on our site were replaced by İSKİ (Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration). Beyond routine tasks like cleaning, maintenance, landscaping, renovations, and repairs, our most important concerns are our elevators and our Trade Center. Our elevators were previously inspected by our Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, but this was later changed to the Turkish Standards Institution (TSE) due to workplace accidents in Türkiye. Initially, we were building our elevators according to the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, but the government also told us to do the following for the elevators. Currently, our elevators are operating smoothly. We are paying for these expenses with our reserve funds, which we raise from our membership dues and rental income, without passing them on to you as much as possible.
Last year, one of our most pressing issues was the construction of the Trade Center. As you know, we made promises to you at the last general assembly. But in these matters, the results are what matter. In fact, the government is focusing on completed projects, not groundbreaking ceremonies. This is, in a sense, the right policy. We've brought this far to completion, aiming to complete what we started. As you know, during this period, we experienced a coup attempt similar to the one on July 15th. Our tender date for the trade center fell on July 17th. Unfortunately, we couldn't find a single buyer on July 17th. We said, "Bismillah," rolled up our sleeves, made promises, and began construction. But we haven't found a single buyer since then. A month passed, and our members, demoralized, were asking our contractor, "What will become of us? Will the construction continue?" We told them to be patient. We even considered holding an extraordinary general assembly. We even considered lowering our prices. We received similar offers. But we promised our members we would sell without falling below these figures. We toiled away for four months. Our first sale took place on November 20th.
Bu tarihten sonrada Allah’a şükür satışlar çorap söküğü gibi geldi. %30’lük kısmını sattık. Satış yaparken de dikkat ettiğimiz konu şuydu: ‘Ben üyelerimiz için kısa bir bilgi olsun diye söylüyorum. Basiretli bir tüccar gibi davranmaya çalıştık. Giriş katı 17 liraydı, üst katı 8 liraydı onun üst katıda 7 liraydı… Biz satarken 3 kat sattığımız için kooperatife kalan %70’lük kısmı yine kupon kısmından kaldı. Kiraya vereceğimiz yerlerle ilgili başta bazı sıkıntılar çekiyoruz ama bu sıkıntılar sonucu bize kira geliri olarak fazlasıyla dönecek inşallah” dedi.
Raporların oylanmasından, müzakerelerinin yapılması ve oy birliği ile geçmesinden sonra söz 8. Maddede yer alan Ticaret Merkezi’nin %5’lik gibi bir kısmının satışının yapılarak inşaatının tamamlanması ile ilgili konuya geldi. Üyelerin bir kısmı satış yapılması yerine para toplanarak inşaatın bitirilmesi taraftarı olduklarını söylediler. Fakat birçok üye ile birlikte Murat Göl para toplanarak bu yılın sonunda bu işin bitirilmesinin kolay olmadığını ifade etti. Göl maddeyi şöyle ifade etti: “Aslında bu bizim rutin bir maddemiz. Daha önceki genel kurulda satış hakkını aldığımız Ticaret Merkezimizin alan kişilerin tapu işlemlerini yapmak için yönetim kuruluna tekrar yetki verilmesinin devamı için bu madde yeniden konuldu. Yalnız burada şöyle bir isteğimiz de var. Daha önce biz Ticaret Merkezi’mizin %30 satış hakkını aldık. Kaba inşaatı 11,5 milyon lira gibi yeni zamlardan etkilenmeyecek şekilde yaptık fakat ince işleri bu zamlardan etkilendi. Mekanik, elektrik, dış cephe gibi hep dövizli ve ince fiyatları olan konularda çalışma yapacağız. Yıl sonuna kadar bu ince inşaat kısımlarını da bitirip burayı hemen kira gelirine dönüştürmeye çalışacağız. Hatta size bir müjdede vereyim Ticaret Merkezimizi şu anda bile kiralamak için insanlar sırada… tamamlamaya yakın hepsini çağırıp kiralama işlerini konuşacağız” dedi. Müzakerelerden sonra madde, oy birliği ile kabul edildi.
During the council's wishes and requests section, Chairman Murat Göl stated that Aymakoop tradespeople are among the most exemplary in the region. Göl said, “I visit all the cooperatives in our region. Our tradespeople are understanding, ask questions, and listen to each other at a certain level. Hopefully, we will maintain this environment together with you.”
Participants: AYKOSAN President Sinan Beyhan, AYSAT President Ömer Arpacı, TASD President Süleyman Gürsoy, Bağcılar Güngören Cooperative President M. Vural Koç, Dersankoop President M. Mahşuk Gülaçar and Saraçlar Cooperative President Nazmi Çelikol attended the general assembly meeting.
As a result of the evaluation made by our Board of Directors, it was decided that the cooperative management working hours during the month of Ramadan will be 08:30 - 12:30, lunch break 12:30-13:00, cashier closing 16:45, and end of working hours 17:00.
A reminder text has been published by the Istanbul Tax Office within the scope of the Tax Restructuring Law No. 6736.
Our 2016 Aymakkoop General Assembly was held at the IOSB conference hall on May 20, 2017, with a high level of participation from our partners. We thank all participants.
Our Board of Directors members toured the construction site with our Block representatives, under the supervision of the technical team, and briefed them on the latest status.
The rough construction of our new Aymakoop trade center will be completed as of May 12. Our first picture together with our tradesmen and block managers in the conference hall.
Aymakoop Management, in collaboration with the Turkish Red Crescent, organized a blood donation campaign at our Aymakoop Industrial Site on May 5th. Make your contribution to saving lives.
We would like to thank the residents of Aymakoop site for their intense participation.