Small businesspeople pull down the shutters

According to Confederation of Turkish Small Tradesmen and Craftsmen figures, a total of 101,614 small businesspeople shut up shop in 2016. In the final quarter of the year, 10,000 small businesspeople ceased trading each month.

The number of small businesspeople who closed their businesses rose in 2016 by 4,000 over 2015. Numbering first among those who ceased trading were grocers and snack bar owners. While some 8,000 small businesspeople shut up shop in Istanbul, the corresponding figure in Izmir was 6,814 and that for Ankara exceeded 5,000.