Turkey's white goods sector shrinks in 2025, industry body warns of cautious 2026

Vestel Beyaz Esya Sanayi Ve Ticaret

27/01/2026 08:40

ISTANBUL, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Turkey's white goods sector saw sales, exports and production shrink in 2025 as rising costs eroded competitiveness, the head of the country's main industry association said on Tuesday, warning that the outlook for 2026 remains cautious.

Turkey is the largest white goods producer in Europe and second only to China globally, with a 7% share of global production volume.

Alper Sengul, the head of the White Goods Manufacturers’ Association of Turkey (TURKBESD), said at a news conference that domestic sales fell 3% in 2025, while exports dropped 10% and production declined 9%.

"The weak trend observed in exports and the domestic market points to a more cautious period for our sector in 2026...protecting our capacity will be key for maintaining employment and our competitiveness abroad," Sengul said.

Higher input, energy and financing costs made the sector's competitiveness increasingly fragile when compared to other countries, Sengul also said, adding that policies to support exports were more necessary than ever to prevent the recent slowdown from becoming permanent.

(Reporting by Ceyda Caglayan, Writing by Ezgi Erkoyun; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

((ezgi.erkoyun@thomsonreuters.com; +90-212-350 7051; Reuters Messaging: ezgi.erkoyun.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net;))