TÜRKBESD Press Release_28 April 2026
TÜRKBESD announced its results for the first quarter of 2026:
Contraction Continues in Domestic and Foreign Markets
In the first quarter of 2026, domestic sales across the 6 main product groups shrank by 10% compared to the same period last year. While the downward trend observed in exports in recent years continued, exports decreased by 23% in the first three months of 2026. The decline in exports was also reflected in production volumes, which fell by 21%. Total sales dropped by 19% to 6,288,817 units. TÜRKBESD President Alper Şengül pointed out that the double-digit decline in exports continues, stating, “This picture reveals the risk of a more permanent decline in export performance due to global demand conditions and the slowdown in foreign markets.”
The Turkish White Goods Manufacturers Association (TÜRKBESD) shared its evaluation of the sector’s first quarter results for 2026. According to the information provided by TÜRKBESD, which includes domestic, international, importing, and manufacturing companies such as Arçelik, BSH, Dyson, Electrolux, Haier Europe, Midea Group Turkey, Miele, Samsung, Versuni (Philips), and Vestel, domestic sales across 6 main product groups decreased by 10% in the first three months of 2026 compared to the previous year. In exports, the declining trend observed in recent years continued, with a 23% decrease compared to the previous year. The ongoing decline in exports was also reflected in production volumes, which fell by 21% year-on-year. Total sales decreased by 19% to 6,288,817 units. Specifically in March, domestic sales shrank by 3% compared to March of the previous year, while exports declined by 29% and production by 14%. Total sales fell by 21% to 2,230,369 units.
With a 7% production share, Turkey ranks first in Europe and second in the world as a white goods manufacturing hub. As of 2025, the sector operates with an annual production volume of 29 million units, providing employment for 60,000 people directly and 600,000 indirectly. While export volume was recorded at 20.2 million units in 2025, the sector continues to increase its competitiveness in global markets through investments in R&D, digital transformation, and green transformation.
Evaluating the results, TÜRKBESD President Alper Şengül stated that the contraction in exports has continued uninterrupted in recent years. Noting that export volume fell back to levels seen about 10 years ago with 20.2 million units in 2025, Şengül emphasized that the double-digit decline in exports in the first quarter of 2026 shows this trend continues: “This picture reveals the risk of a more permanent decline in export performance due to global demand conditions and the slowdown in foreign markets. In parallel, the slow pace of demand in the domestic market stands out as a factor suppressing overall market growth.”
Competitiveness is squeezed in the triangle of exports, costs, and trade policies
Stating that “the continuation of this outlook in both exports and the domestic market into 2026 increases the risk of permanence of the current trend,” Şengül said, “This situation shows that preserving our sector’s competitiveness has now become a more critical priority.” He highlighted that the contraction in both domestic sales and exports compared to the same period last year continues and is clearly reflected in production volumes. Şengül continued: “On the export side, while global demand conditions and geopolitical developments remain decisive, energy, raw material, and financing costs continue to stay high. In addition, trade policies such as anti-dumping measures, surveillance practices, and additional taxes increase costs and processing times. On the other hand, cost advantages from the Far East and aggressive pricing further intensify competition in export markets.”
Şengül stated that these developments increase pressure on competitiveness and weaken cost advantages, especially in export markets, adding: “In light of this data, we can say that our competitiveness is squeezed into a triangle of export contraction, rising costs, and trade policies.” He emphasized that in order to reverse the prolonged weak trend observed in exports and the domestic market, which continues into 2026, it is critical to maintain production and export capacity, sustain competitiveness abroad, balance input costs, and avoid additional burdens that would weaken competitiveness in foreign markets.
“Support facilitating access to energy-efficient products should be provided”
Şengül also evaluated March data: “March data confirm on a monthly basis the trend observed in the first quarter of the year. This picture increases the risk that the decline in production may become permanent.” Pointing out the importance of supporting the domestic market in this context, Şengül stated that credit card interest and commission rates negatively affect sales channels and said, “Increasing installment options for credit cards will contribute to the continuity of domestic demand.”
Emphasizing the need for structural steps that will sustainably support the domestic market and align with the country’s long-term goals, Şengül stated that a holistic approach centered on expanding energy-efficient products is one of the most effective and lasting solutions: “According to our association’s analysis, despite an 18% increase in product size in the refrigerator product group compared to 2014, energy savings of 16% have been achieved, demonstrating significant progress in efficiency in our sector.” In other words, today’s larger and higher-performance products operate with much lower energy consumption. These data show that the widespread adoption of energy-efficient products will not only save energy but also increase resource efficiency, support production, and create a significant leverage effect for exports. Therefore, we believe that incentives such as tax reductions, financing support, and similar measures that facilitate consumers’ access to energy-efficient products are critically important for preserving national wealth and supporting sustainable growth.”
Decision in the sheet metal investigation will directly affect costs and exports
Evaluating protectionist policies regarding input costs in critical manufacturing sectors such as white goods, TÜRKBESD Vice Chairman Mehmet Yavuz stated that concluded and ongoing investigations directly affect sector costs. “The most critical agenda item for the white goods sector is the ongoing anti-dumping investigation on sheet metal products. Especially on the painted sheet side, not all quality types that meet the technical requirements needed by the sector are produced in Turkey. Therefore, imports of these products are not a preference but a necessity for our sector,” said Yavuz, continuing: “Currently, customs duties ranging between 15% and 20% are applied to this product group. The imposition of an additional tax as a result of the ongoing investigation would further disrupt the existing cost structure and significantly increase cost pressure on the sector.”
Evaluating the latest data, Yavuz stated, “It is inevitable that new burdens added to existing taxes will weaken both domestic and international competitiveness and create pressure on employment. In this context, it is of great importance that the ongoing anti-dumping investigation on flat steel products, which constitute approximately 17% of our costs, be concluded without measures, taking into account sector realities and the overall interests of the national economy.”
“Cost items not present in competitor countries create a burden on the sector”
TÜRKBESD Vice Chairman Fatih Özkadı stated that the white goods industry has experienced a decline in exports over the past four years due to both contraction in global markets and increasing cost factors, emphasizing that increases in the Recycling Contribution Fee (GEKAP) create serious cost pressure in the sector. Özkadı said, “While unit prices implemented in 2020 increased by 1550%–1666.7% as of March 2026, increases in PPI and CPI for March 2026 were 735.5% and 666% respectively. Today, the annual GEKAP burden reflected on our sector has reached approximately 3 billion TL. When the cumulative impact between 2020–2025 is evaluated, it is estimated that GEKAP revenues collected from the white goods sector alone have reached approximately 250 million USD.” He stated that these increases create serious pressure on production planning and cash flow, and considering the urgency of the current loss of competitiveness, temporarily reducing GEKAP obligations to zero or by half would be of great importance for the sector. He also noted that calculating GEKAP based on product weight leads to disproportionate calculations due to structural components of products (such as washing machine balance weights), and that these products should not be subject to the same unit weight basis and require an alternative calculation method.
Authorized service centers should be accessed via brand websites
TÜRKBESD Board Member Semir Kuseyri stated that as the white goods sector, they represent a massive ecosystem with production, sales, and after-sales services, noting that an important part of the sector consists of more than 3,500 authorized service centers operating across Turkey: “Our services, which meet all the post-purchase needs of our consumers, reach thousands of homes every day. However, unfortunately, we witness that some malicious individuals use the title of authorized service even though they are not, thereby victimizing our consumers. We regret to see that many consumers suffer financial losses due to these misleading individuals. We place great importance on your support to draw attention to this issue. We recommend that consumers access authorized services via official brand websites or the Ministry of Trade’s servis.gov.tr address instead of search engines when they need technical support and/or repairs. This method is critically important for ensuring that consumers receive safe and accurate service.”