“We shall make Gima a boutique market”

Servet Topaloğlu is one of the leading names in the retail sector… At the end of 2005 he moved to the Carrefour Group and was appointed member of the board of directors responsible for supermarkets. Top of his agenda is Gima. He says that they are working on a very different concept. “We have developed a concept which haven’t been seen in Turkey before. We shall work like a boutique market,” he says.

We first heard Servet Topaloğlu’s name in 1997 during the foundation of Real. After managing operations there for five years he moved to Tansaş, which was a small chain at the time. Topaloğlu achieved considerable success at Tansaş and was the most important reason for the growth of the company. During the sale of Tansaş to Migros Topaloğlu opted to leave Tansaş because, in his own words, “I had completed my mission here” and everybody awaited his next move with curiosity. In order to continue his career, Topaloğlu once again chose a player in the retail sector. After CarrefourSa bought Gima, Topaloğlu was appointed as head of supermarket operations. As he continues with his responsibilities as board member of CarrefourSa responsible for supermarkets, Topaloğlu says that he chose to remain in the retail sector because he loves the sector.

We spoke with Servet Topaloğlu about his plans for Gima and the areas for growth in the sector.

* What kind of concept are you thinking about for Gima? What kind of changes will there be in Gima stores?
We want to offer a different concept and we focused our efforts accordingly. We wanted to develop a concept which did not resemble anything else in the retail sector in Turkey. The basic aim of this concept is to keep in mind the needs of the customer in the region in which the stores are located. Within this framework, we wanted to establish a structure which would work like a boutique market. That is to say, we shall establish whatever kind of store is wanted by the customers in the region. If the customer says ‘I want leader brands’ then the store will be designed according to that.

Unlike the standard readymade concept of supermarkets, we want to create a concept which is in harmony with the needs of the region and which keeps the human factor to the fore. The quality of service is important here, of course. In addition, in developing this store concept we were careful to take us fresh products, which are CarrefourSa’s most important strength, as  reference.

* In operational terms, what kind of difficulties will be produced by these regional  changes?
Ultimately, the skeleton of the store system will be standard. But the elements which will be added to that skeleton will vary according to the region. In this way, we shall be differentiated from the supermarket format of our other rivals.

* I believe that the Endi stores will continue under the DiaSa name. Will the Gima name change?
Yes. The name Endi will gradually be changed to DiaSa. Gima is a very strong and trusted brand in Turkey. For this reason, CarrefourSa decided to preserve this brand. In time we aim to change ChampionSa to Gima. I think that we shall complete this transformation by the end of this year.

* What kind of developments will there be in the number of Gima supermarkets in the future?
We are aiming to increase the number of our supermarkets to 120 by the end of 2009.

* What share does Gima have of Carrefour’s turnover?
A share of approximately 40 percent.

Şeyma Öncel Bayıksel
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