Ercan Sarıkaya: “We are interested in the OSB Fair Center in April”

Kayseri Chamber of Furniture Manufacturers and KUMSmall Shopping Mall Board Chairman Ercan Sarıkaya stated that they have expressed interest in the Kayseri OSB Exhibition Center for the fair they will hold next April, saying, “We are also interested in the 25,000 square meters of space at the OSB Exhibition Area due to hundreds of our members who do not have a place in the shopping mall.”

In his statements regarding the current agenda and the projects being carried out, Chairman Ercan Sarıkaya mentioned that the exhibition company in the OSB has complained about them. Saying, “This mentality should not be the case,” Chairman Sarıkaya added, “A very large part of those participating in the OSB fair are our industrialists and SMEs producing in Kayseri. In my opinion, the fair held there was successful. After all, there is an effort involved, and I thank the organizers, especially our own members, because it was done for this city. However, there is a difference; our fair is not conducted with commercial concerns… We do not seek profit; we want our members to profit. The business there is commercial, and we are not against that. But there is a difference in this regard; the state has built such a large structure and given it to us, and we need to operate it correctly. While operating it correctly, it is not just about marketing and selling. We are in a negative position with China at the current exchange rate. You pay a serious cost for the fair, build very serious stands, and you add these costs to your products. Today, in a place where there are 4,000 companies, about 150 firms were present at the fair. Today, there will be 4,000 producers in Kayseri, and there are 150 firms. While there is a place that is like a fair 365 days a year, we cannot understand why our members are paying fees to participate in fairs elsewhere. We are not against it; 36 of our companies opened stands. 21-22 of them said, ‘Let’s not participate.’ I said, ‘No, you have signed a contract, do not withdraw.’ I did not remove my members from the board. We should not cause harm; time is short, and it is not easy to find participants again. We made this much sacrifice, supported the counter-fair, and did nothing to cast a shadow over that fair. But they are trying to have our authorization certificate canceled. This mentality should not be the case; this mentality is not a correct mentality.”

“We are interested in the exhibition area in Kayseri OSB”
Expressing their interest in the OSB Exhibition Area for the fair they will hold next April, Chairman Sarıkaya said, “We are preparing for our fair in April. We have made our decision, and we will consult with our stores in the shopping mall. If they grant us the OSB Exhibition Area in April, we are interested. Next April, we will hold our fair, and in October, they will hold theirs. Due to hundreds of our members who do not have a place in the shopping mall, we are also interested in the 25,000 square meters at the OSB Exhibition Area. We do not want unrest in the city. When there is someone with commercial concerns in the middle, this does not work, everyone struggles. If we enlarge the pie, we will all be happy; if the pie does not grow, with the competition among ourselves, this city and this sector cannot go anywhere,” he stated.

“Our youth need a mentality revolution”
Stating that the education system needs to be addressed, Chairman Ercan Sarıkaya said, “In education, we need to discuss the last 4 of 4+4+4. We have human resources, but we waste them. We are forcing them to finish high school. That child does not want to enter the furniture sector or any other sector that requires physical labor afterward. The salaries offered must also be attractive to people. A person cannot just come off the street and operate a machine. We opened a stand as the Shopping Mall and the Chamber of Furniture Manufacturers at the Employment Fair. 105 people applied to us, but they do not want to come. Our youth need a mentality revolution. There is also a considerable number of registered unemployed at İŞKUR, but young people are somewhat picky about jobs,” he said.

“We foresee redistributing what our members pay”
Providing information about the projects they carry out as a cooperative, Sarıkaya said, “We have a debt of about 550-600 million to the property owners of our shopping mall and other SMEs to TOKİ. This is the debt of our members; our cooperative is the intermediary here; they pay us, and we pay TOKİ. 600 people whose debts are settled have received their titles. Now there is such a debt here, a large debt. When we come to the other side, we have consolidated all the loan debts of our current cooperative. Right now, apart from our income from KUMS Tower, MOBİTEK, and other commercial parcels, we have closed our existing debts and are in surplus of 350 million TL. Our cooperative anticipates that, just as we did in the past in Belsin, we will redistribute everything our members have paid back to them. Our members have certain requests; there are demands for single-family homes due to the earthquake and the pandemic. I consulted with a couple of our mayors; there is no such area. The member says, ‘Do not give us money, buy us a plot, and we will complete the remaining part.’ This means we are carrying out sustainable projects.”