Textile industry unites against China

The branch, to be opened at midnight on Jan. 17, will offer 90 percent discounts on all products for the first 24 hours. From then on, products will be offered at a 50 percent discount.

MOL takes its name from the initials of Merter, Osmanbey and Laleli, three key areas of Istanbul in ready to wear products. The company aims to reclaim a market share lost to firms from countries such as China, said Oktay Özdemir, president of MOL’s executive committee and managing director of the Wenice Kids brand.

"We include brands such as Wenice Kids, Deep Blue and Vigos that produce for companies such as Zara and H&M. Nobody, including China, will be able to compete with us in quality and price," Özdemir said. "We are entering the market with producer prices. There are no intermediaries or commissions. We will show the power of Turkey in production and brand."

MOL aims to open 56 shops this year, 18 of them in Turkey and the rest in 19 other countries, he said.

Many companies applied to join the MOL project, Özdemir said, adding that the key criterion was producing in Turkey and being a Turkish brand. "There are 398 producers behind our 78 member companies," he said. "Both companies and producers will win. The system has received a lot of attention, more than 400 companies have lined up for membership. The products will have a certain quality and will be sold at bargain prices. We will sell a pair of quality trousers for 12 Turkish Liras, for example." A large group in Germany wants to implement the MOL system, he added.