Seeking to increase exports to the United States—which imports around USD 70 billion worth of furniture annually—Türkiye’s furniture industry hosted Wayfair, the country’s largest online home furnishings and décor retailer and one of the world’s leading sourcing platforms, in İzmir.
Supported by Türkiye’s Ministry of Trade and organized by the Aegean Furniture, Paper and Forestry Products Exporters’ Association, Wayfair’s procurement executives met with member companies and held B2B meetings with 14 Turkish furniture manufacturers.
Highlighting that Wayfair was founded in 2002 in Boston, Massachusetts and operates globally with approximately USD 11.9 billion in annual revenue and 13,500 employees, Hikmet Güngör, Vice Chair of the Aegean Furniture, Paper and Forestry Products Exporters’ Association, noted that the company serves different market segments through brands such as Joss & Main, AllModern, Birch Lane and Perigold.
We export to the US with 80% higher unit value
Pointing to the Turkish furniture industry’s strong progress over the past two decades, Güngör said: “Türkiye currently exports USD 4.6 billion. Our goal is to exceed USD 5 billion in 2025. While our average export unit value stands at USD 3.5/kg, it surpasses USD 5/kg for exports to the US, and USD 6/kg for shipments to the US from the Aegean region. By intensifying our engagement with Wayfair and other US companies, we aim to lift our US exports from USD 137 million to USD 1 billion in the medium term.”
Emphasizing their latest talks with Wayfair, Güngör added: “Wayfair has conveyed its decision to open an office and establish a company in Türkiye. To help the firm build longer-term relationships with more Turkish suppliers and share its sourcing model more broadly, we are planning online meetings and webinars. Today, 14 of our companies held one-on-one meetings with Wayfair, but this circle will expand significantly going forward.”
Companies that took part in the B2B meetings with Wayfair included: Konfor Mobilya; Decosit Mobilya İthalat ve İhracat Sanayi Ticaret; Simre Mobilya Dekorasyon Ev Tekstil ve Aksesuar San. Tic. A.Ş.; KYZ Mobilya San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti.; A Home Concept Mobilya İth. İhr. Tic. Ltd. Şti.; Ananas Design Crafts; Decosit Mobilya Ltd. Şti.; INTERGO Organizasyon San. ve Tic. Ltd. Şti.; Demar Forge; Minik Fare İthalat İhracat Ticaret Ltd. Şti.; NIRON Grup Sanal Market İletişim Yazılım; GAEA Mobilya Aydınlatma Tasarım Dekorasyon San. Tic. Ltd. Şti.; Sönmez Global Plastik A.Ş.; and MeltemKids.