Web site aims to unite all retailers

Aiming to become a reference point for Turkey’s retail sector, the www.perakende.org Web site, founded in 2005, submits a broad range of information about the sector as well as bringing sector members together through an efficient online platform.

With a 14-year history in print-based publishing for the retail sector, Ergun Güler, editor-in-chief of perakende.org, said they realized the need for dynamic publishing in the sector.

"Since monthly or periodic publishing was not compatible with the target audience in the retail sector, which is vibrant and rapidly changing, we turned to a dynamic publishing approach," Güler told Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

"So we founded perakende.org. Our portal has been up to date since May 2005," said Güler.

Growing interest
The Web site attracted the attention of market chains in the beginning, while storeowners, shopping mall administrators, investors and consultants started to follow the site after about 18 months.

"Our Web site has rapidly become a meeting point for Turkey’s organized retail sector," Güler said. The Web site includes up-to-date news stories about developments in the retail sector, as well as exclusive interviews, company information, articles by sector members, biographies of prominent figures and a human resources aspect.

"We focus on keeping our Web site as a reference point for Turkey’s retail sector," said Güler.

Speaking on the effects of the global financial crisis on the sector, Güler said the sector is in an even worse situation than it was during the devastating 2000-2001 economic crisis.

"Sales declined 122 percent in October," he said. "The activity of the retail sector keeps declining. Suppliers cannot meet the demand of the stores. This will result in unemployment."

Declining need for staff
"When there are no sales, then there is no need for sales staff. The crisis is damaging the sector directly," he told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review.

The crisis will not end before 2010, he said. "The sector will rally by 2011. We expect 2011 to be like 2003, when the recovery period from the 2001 economic crisis started."

The most damaging side of the crisis is its psychological side, said Güler. "When the psychological side of the crisis is over, once the markets survive the fear, it will start to be normal again."

Operating perakende.org for years, Güler said there is considerable foreign investor interest to the Web site. "It is now possible to receive a partnership offer from a foreign player," said Güler.

"If there is a company that looks forward to operate in retail, it would eventually desire to partner with us or to acquire us," said Güler. "But we did not establish this Web site to sell it. We have not achieved our aim yet. We are not even close to what we dreamed at the beginning," he said.

Güler said the Web site has had bright growth performance since it was established, but the crisis slowed down expectations for this year. "At the end of our first year we grew 500 percent, next year 200 percent and finally last year, we grew 100 percent in turnover."

With nearly 1,900 registered retail firms, the Web site has around 9,000 subscribers and is visited 13,000 times daily on average.