by Neil Felton, FESPA CEO
Travelling around the world with FESPA, I meet printers on every continent who are positive about the future of their business. That mood is backed up by our global research; 80% of respondents to the FESPA Print Census stated that they were very or fairly optimistic for their businesses.
Since we launched FESPA Eurasia in Istanbul in 2013, I’ve taken a close interest in the Turkish market, and I see many reasons for Turkish printers in particular to face the future with excitement and ambition. From my perspective, here are six key factors driving growth in speciality print:
A growth mindset
Turkey is already the 18th biggest economy in the world and the seventh largest in Europe[1], and has set itself the goal of becoming one of the world’s largest economies by 2023[2]. That national commitment to growth is important, as it creates a positive climate for businesses to seek opportunities to expand and diversify.
Retail development
Retail is one of the major vertical markets for signage and graphics, and we’re witnessing rapid growth of the retail sector across Europe. Research by Cushman & Wakefield states that retail was the fastest growing sector of the commercial property market in 2015 in Europe, with volumes rising to a total of €67.3bn. Turkey is no exception, with 40 new shopping malls being developed in Istanbul alone this year, and more than 100 new malls planned across the country. According to Retail Design World, Turkey is expected to have over 450 malls by 2017.[3] This rise in the number of contemporary shopping malls and outlets opens significant opportunities for PSPs and signmakers in applications such as POS (point of sale), retail graphics, banners, signage and soft signage.
Urbanisation and infrastructure
Urbanisation is reshaping Turkish economics, and it’s fascinating as a frequent visitor to see the infrastructural investments being made to support this. I recently read in the Financial Times that there are at least $100 billion of infrastructure projects underway in Turkey, ranging from a $35bn airport to a $10bn motorway[4]. It’s clear to me that these should fuel medium-term growth for out of home (OOH) advertising and signage, presenting substantial commercial opportunities for Turkish printers and signmakers.
Construction drives decor
The shift from a rural to an urban society – Turkey’s urban population has more than doubled in the past 30 years – inevitably creates substantial demand for new homes, office spaces, retail outlets and so on. With these new spaces comes a boom in business for speciality printers with interior décor capabilities, for example in printed wallpapers, surface decoration techniques, soft furnishings and flooring. Furniture manufacturing is expanding too, beyond its heartland of Istanbul and Kayseri and into Bursa, Izmir, Ankara, Adana and Eskisehir. There are undoubtedly interesting opportunities for speciality printers in Turkey to tap into what we observe as a global trend, with 78% of our Global Print Census respondents reporting growth in interior décor applications.[5]
Textile Applications – garment and beyond
Globally, textile printing is a dominant growth application for printers. 27% of respondents to our Print Census are already involved in garment printing, with 81% seeing growth in this segment, the highest of any growth application[6]. The Turkish market has a significant head start; garment and textile are already among the largest and best-performing sectors of the Turkish economy, accounting for around 7% of GDP and comprising 56,000 textile and clothing companies operating in the country[7].
Where traditionally screen and rotary printing were the dominant processes, digital textile printing is rapidly expanding due to the change from mass production to personalisation. For printers with textile expertise, there are also interesting opportunities beyond garment, for applications such as flags and banners, for interior décor items, and for consumer products such as mobile and tablet covers.
Young social demographic
The median age in Turkey is just over 30, younger than anywhere else in Europe[8]. That’s a key indicator of future economic potential, as this digitally connected, upwardly mobile younger generation will have contemporary expectations for their homes, offices, retail and social spaces, as well as representing a significant consumer audience for brand owners to reach through advertising and visual communication. The evidence is already there to see: total advertising spend in Turkey rose 88% from 2007 to June 2014, with a further expected increase of 27% for 2015 and 2016[9]. That’s great news for anyone involved in the visual communications supply chain.
FESPA Eurasia 2016
Turkish printers and signmakers wanting to learn more about these opportunities will find everything they need under one roof at FESPA Eurasia 2016 (8 – 11 December 2016, CNR Expo, Istanbul). It’s a chance to meet international and local manufacturers of technology solutions for wide format print, textile print, garment decoration and signage.
Just as importantly, for printers seeking inspiration on how to expand and diversify, the free 3-day seminar programme and the Wrap Masters vehicle wrapping feature will provide valuable insights, technical guidance and real-world experiences from leading suppliers and PSPs.
Over 9,200 visitors came to FESPA Eurasia in 2015, demonstrating an immense appetite from printers across Turkey and its immediate neighbours for access to the latest technology and ideas, education and information, and peer-to-peer networking.
For me, that enthusiasm and curiosity is the greatest indicator of this market’s exciting potential to grow and thrive. I look forward to welcoming you to FESPA 2016 in Istanbul in December!
For more information on FESPA Eurasia and to pre-register visit www.fespaeurasia.com. For free entry, use code: EURM608
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[1] Republic of Turkey Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Economic Outlook of Turkey, http://www.mfa.gov.tr/prospects-and-recent-developments-in-the-turkish-economy.en.mfa
[2] Hurriyet Daily, Turkey to become one of three largest European economies, minister claims, 27 April 2015, http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkey-to-become-one-of-three-largest-european-economies-minister-claims.aspx?pageID=238&nID=81599&NewsCatID=344
[3] Retail Design World, Mall extensions account for bigger proportion of new retail space as owners invest, 8 August 2016, http://www.retaildesignworld.com/news/article/57a88828adf05-mall-extensions-account-for-bigger-proportion-of-new-retail-space-as-owners-invest
[4] The Financial Times, Full speed ahead for Turkey’s ‘crazy’ construction plans, 28 September 2016, https://www.ft.com/content/ab24659c-6f72-11e6-a0c9-1365ce54b926
[5] FESPA, FESPA Print Census tells global story of optimism and growth, 19.05.15, http://www.fespa.com/news/press-releases/fespa-print-census-tells-global-story-of-optimism-and-growth.html
[6] FESPA, FESPA Print Census tells global story of optimism and growth, 19.05.15, http://www.fespa.com/news/press-releases/fespa-print-census-tells-global-story-of-optimism-and-growth.html
[7] Fibre2Fashion, Turkey Textile Industry Overview, http://www.fibre2fashion.com/market-intelligence/countryprofile/turkey-textile-industry-overview/
[8] Business Insider, Turkey has one of the youngest populations in Europe — and it’s fueling a startup boom, 28 June 2016, http://uk.businessinsider.com/r-young-turks-e-commerce-start-ups-bet-on-enviable-demographics-2016-6
[9] Statista, Advertising expenditure in Turkey from 2007 to 2016 (in million U.S. dollars), https://www.statista.com/statistics/432284/total-advertising-expenditure-in-turkey/