The Turkish pet industry

Strong economic growth 

The Turkish economy is a complex mix of traditional craftsmanship and modern industry, and is increasingly dominated by the latter. Turkey has a strong, fast-growing private sector but the state still plays a major role in industry, banking, transport and communications. The Turkish economy has grown strongly in recent years. According to Euromonitor International, the Turkish pet industry is growing by about 18% annually. It explains this growth by the fact that Turkish people are taking better care of their pets and are becoming aware that healthy food is better for their pets. 

A small market

The Turkish domestic pet industry achieved a turnover of $335 million (€312 million) in 2016. This is a remarkably small market for a population of 80 million. “So it’s a promising market,” says Gonzalo García, Country Business Manager for the TOLSA GROUP in Turkey. “In fact I would go so far as to say that there is still room for companies that want to invest in Turkey because the pet industry is not yet saturated, as it is in many Western European countries.”

This small market can be explained by the fact that keeping pets is not a custom in Muslim cultures. In the countryside, they are used for hunting and as watchdogs. They mostly live outside. This is different for cats; they are loved and cared for, although they too often used to live outside. “However, this picture has changed in recent years,” says Gonzalo García. “More and more Turkish people are leaving the countryside and moving to the city, and they are interested in a Western lifestyle.”

Luxury pet products and services

Urbanization has also kicked off the humanization trend in Turkey. “Increasingly more Turkish people are interested in having a pet in their home,” says Selçuk Çetin, chairman of the Turkish Pet Industry Businessmen Association, in the Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah. “We are seeing a growth in luxury pet hotels and grooming salons. There’s also an increase in the demand for specialized pet shops.” 

According to Euromonitor International, most pet products in Turkey are sold in pet shops. These pet shops lost some market share in 2015 due to the ban on selling live animals. This ban was lifted in 2017 and Euromonitor International expects that the number of Turkish pet shops will grow strongly again.           

Turkish partner

In spite of the economic growth, there is still a lot of bureaucracy. “As a company, you need different permits to do just about anything and sometimes the procedure is slow,” says Gonzalo García. “I would recommend companies to look for a Turkish partner to help you with the red tape and to get to know the Turkish culture. Sometimes hard bureaucracy and the civil service may slow down applications, so doing business quickly is not obvious in Turkey. Only companies with a long-term vision can succeed here. At the moment, the political situation is unstable, but we hope that step by step Turkey is coming back to a reliable political and legal environment allowing business to develop in healthy conditions.”