Trade

The number shopping malls in Turkey has increased by 27.5 percent in the last five years to 412, putting more pressure on the already struggling shop owners, the head the country's biggest shop owners confederation has said.

Shares in British electricals and mobile phone retailer Dixons Carphone rose as much as 7.6 percent on Monday after Sky News TV reported that activist investor Elliott Advisors is exploring plans to buy a "big stake" in the firm.

A fashion designer who once owned a boutique in an upscale Istanbul neighborhood has said she is happy and successful with her new life as a farmer in her little hometown. Click through for the story in photos...

Demand for string grocery bags increased by 154 percent in December 2018 compared to the same month of 2017, according to data provided by Hepsiburada.com, a popular e-commerce platform in Turkey.

Turkish people are set to see a variety of changes in daily life beginning on Jan. 1, with the most striking change to be seen in grocery stores, which will charge customers 0.25 Turkish Liras ($4 cents) for a single-use plastic bag under new regulations.

The price of single-use plastic bags at supermarkets and some other stores will rise from 4 to 9 cents on January 1 as part of the effort to reduce their use. The aim is for each citizen to use no more than 90 bags annually by 2020 and 40 by 2025.

Seven of the leading retail chains in Bulgaria have invested more than $ 3.8 billion and hired around 5,500 new employees in 2017. The bulk of these investments were aimed at expanding the network of Kaufland, Billa, Lidl, dm, METRO, T-Market and Deichmann on the Bulgarian market, according to a survey of the Modern Commerce Association, which includes the seven chains.

Afoi Vassilopouloi, one of the oldest delicatessens in Athens, has joined the Spar family as the multinational proceeds with its penetration of the Greek retail market.

More than 50% of the goods in seven of the largest retail chains in Bulgaria are supplied by domestic producers, and in some categories, the share of the local production reaches 75%.

There were no gigantic midnight queues as the gates of stores or shopping malls across Turkey in the early hours of Nov. 23, but every year the country embraces the so-called "Black Friday" shopping spree, with more online businesses joining discount campaigns.