Türkiye Expect Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles 2019 Fair to Promote Home Textile Export

Aug. 28-30, Shanghai China—Türkiye’s national participation organization led by Uludağ Textile Exporters’ Association (UTIB), attended the Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles 2019 fair, Shanghai, China.

22 Turkish companies joined the fair and displayed various home textile ranging from drapery fabric to upholstery fabric, bed linen to tablecloth, towels and even bathrobes. UTIB wished to contribute to the national economy by increasing the brand awareness and connecting Turkish home textile companies with foreign traders especially those from China.

“The fair has served as a channel to connect Turkish home textile providers with Chinese buyers,” said Pınar Taşdelen Engin, Chairperson of UTIB. “It provides a platform for Türkiye to present to the world its sophisticated design, advanced technology and high-quality home textile materials as well as products in terms of home textile trading.”

At this year’s fair, UTIB occupied a 940-square meter area including an 895-square meter display area for national participation organization and a 45-square meter area as Türkiye Country lounge. Türkiye’s leading home textile producers, to name a few, Akarca, Boyteks, and Teksko, attended the fair, displaying Turkish home textile products, such as curtains, towels and accessories. Also, finalists of “the 9th Türkiye Home Textile Design Contest” showed up at Türkiye Country lounge. As Mrs. Engin introduced, the TUIB’s booths were themed with design and innovation while emphasizing Türkiye as a design-driven country. The organization hoped that they could double their home textile export volume to China in medium term to reach 250 million US dollars.

Türkiye, as the major home textile export country, was the world’s third supplier of bed and fifth supplier of bedspreads in 2016. Statistics released by UTIB shows that, in 2018, the country ranked the fourth in the global home textile industry and was the largest textile producing European country, with a total home textile export value of $2.7 billion, 4.5% market share of the total global home textile market. Meanwhile, last year, 9.6% of towels in the world had a Türkiye origin while the country generated 390 million USD (about 27.3 billion CNY) from denim fabric export.

Türkiye has boosted its home textiles export to China, hitting a record of 40 million USD (approximately 280 million CNY) in 2018, 11% higher than that of 2017. The figure is expected to reach 100 million USD (around 700 million CNY) in the medium term. Among Turkish home textile products exported to China, curtain, upholstery fabrics, bed linen, bed sheets and towels make up the main volume with woven fabrics of synthetic filament yarns take up the largest share.

Mrs. Engin addressed the importance of Chinese market to Turkish home textile as China is playing an increasingly important role in the political world and global market as well. “The fair will spur the trades and strengthen the cooperation tie between the two countries.”

“The Exporter Association has been attending the trade fair as national participation for consecutive years and the 2019 fair is our 10th participation. Türkiye is fully prepared to promote the strong image of the Turkish home textiles to China, and to the world,” she said.