Turkey’s home appliance sales soared in first quarter

Turkey's home appliance sales and exports soared in the first quarter of this year, according to a sectoral group head.

"In January-March, our sales and exports increased 40 percent and 26 percent, respectively, compared to the same period last year," said Can Dinçer, head of the White Goods Manufacturers' Association of Turkey (TÜRKBESD) on April 20.

"Including all domestic sales and exports, total sales of the six major product groups rose by 29 percent to 8.52 million," he added.

TÜRKBESD's nine members sell their products under brands including Altus, Arçelik, Beko, Bosch, Candy, Esty, Gaggenau, Grundig, Profilo, Regal, Siemens, Silverline and Vestel.

The Turkish appliance sector's total production reached 22 million units last year despite the COVID-19 pandemic, which showed its first deadly impact on Turkey in March 2020.

The main export markets of Turkish washing machines, refrigerators, dishwashers and freezers are in Europe.

In a normal year, the sector exports goods value $4.5 billion and generate a nearly $4 billion trade surplus.

"Turkey is Europe's top white goods manufacturer. The post-pandemic period can bring new opportunities for our country. We can turn our country into a tech base for global white goods production with its strong research and development [infrastructure] and sub-industry and skilled labor force," said Dinçer.

He added that the Turkish appliance sector's competitiveness could increase with the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate crisis mitigation, as main global powerhouses - China, the European Union and the United States - take steps to decarbonize their economies.

On the other hand, Dinçer said retail prices would rise in the coming months as input...