Ilke Bigan

The country’s demographics and business climate have made it fertile ground for local companies with global aspirations. With a GDP of $857 billion and a population of approximately 80 million, Turkey is the 17th largest economy in the world. It is home to a number of major players in the consumer sector: for example, the world’s third-largest biscuit producer and seventh-largest home-appliances manufacturer are Turkish companies.

A tally of the world’s biggest and most dynamic markets for luxury goods would invariably include countries like China, the U.S., Brazil, Russia, India, France, Mexico and Japan. But what happens when you’re looking for growth beyond the obvious suspects? Brands seeking global expansion must continually mine new frontiers of growth, even if those markets will represent a small portion of total sales. Turkey is one such opportunity for above-market growth.