Outlet centers in Turkey, which sell famous brand products for relatively cheaper prices, have become more popular among customers following the adverse impact of the ongoing global financial crisis on the country.

Representatives of the sector argue that people tend to seek ways to spend as little as possible, a fact that became more apparent with the arrival of the crisis, which has dealt a major blow to people’s buying power. Outlets, which have grown as an alternate shopping concept among Turks, sell a variety of products including clothing, sporting goods and electrical products. Aysel Öztezel, the general manager of Park Bornova Outlet Center, said on Monday in İzmir that customers had started shopping at outlet centers more in 2009 than they had in the past.

“As people’s buying power fell further, they have become more cautious about spending money. They could easily find brand name products for less at outlets.” She said they had more customers than many shopping centers, which is mainly because they have only outlet stores. Underlining that Turkish customers’ spending habits have changed since the crisis started to wreak havoc on the markets, she said customers spend more “conscientiously” than they previously did. “Both parents and children in a family prefer quality but also cheaper products at the same time.”

Drawing attention to a change in the customer profile of outlet centers, Öztezel highlighted that not only middle-class customers but also wealthier customers preferred outlets. She said they expect outlet centers to attract more customers in the coming months and year thanks to upcoming promotions and discounts planned by managers.

Commenting on the impact of the crisis on outlet centers in 2009, she said they have seen around a 20 percent increase in sales over the previous year despite the crisis. “In general, there was also a rise in the number of customers attracted by shopping centers in 2009, but outlet centers had a bigger increase.”

Source: TODAY’S ZAMAN İSTANBUL, 22 December 2009, Tuesday