Turkey's Sabanci targets 80 new discount-stores in 2009

DiaSA, which hasÂ620 stores in 22 Turkish provinces, increased it sales to 683 million TL ($413.9 million) in 2008, Sabanci's Retail Group President Haluk Dincer told a press conference in Istanbul, the Anatolian Agency reported.

 

Turkey has a fast-growing retail industry and the market is estimated to be worth around $257 billion in 2008, with half of this figure in food retail, he added.

 

Sabanci operates in the Turkish retail industry with CarrefourSA, the discount market chain DiaSA, and the electronic retailer, TeknoSA.

 

Francisco Xavier De La Pena, head of Dia International's European operations also said DiaSA plans to grow nearly 18-19 percent in Turkey and to employ 200 new staff, taking the total to 3,000 in 2009.

 

Dia International's gross sales grew 11 percent to $10.5 billion in 2008, through the franchise concept that consists of more than 1,400 stores operating in eight countries, he said .