January 16, 2026
I know, I keep repeating the phrase “When one person changes, everything changes.” That is because I believe in the magic of words and I believe repetition is the most effective method for permanence. At the very beginning of this article, one of the most important concluding chapters of our series on this topic, I feel the need to strongly emphasize something: our aim is not to discourage anyone or criticize people for past mistakes! On the contrary, I act with the principle that “to understand the future, one must look not only at trends but also at history.” My sole purpose is to contribute, even in the smallest way, to the development of our domestic retail sector. In our country, until the mid-1950s, food retailing in Türkiye was carried out by small neighborhood grocery stores (bakkals) and tradespeople from various categories (such as butchers and greengrocers). However, during those years, when migration to cities was increasing rapidly, even the most basic food items became difficult to access in major cities such as İstanbul, Ankara, and İzmir. This is a historical fact.
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