Page 64 - IRANRptAug22

Prior to the Ukraine invasion, brands from Iran over the course of several months made significant impact in Russian regions including Astrakhan, but the prospect of empty outlets in shopping malls, brought about by the departure of European and American brands from Russia, has given new impetus to the plans of Iranian producers to build Russian market share. “There are no popular [Iranian] brands recognisable in Russia, so it will also be necessary to invest money and time in creating a brand and marketing support for products,” the RSTC press office quoted Voitsekhovsky as saying.
Stores in Russia were ready to include Iranian brands, but on condition that the investments of Iranian manufacturers in Russia included local managing offices and the hiring of Russian firms for branding and advertising support, the trade association noted.
“So far, doubts remain that the quality of the luxury products will reach the levels of Italian, Spanish, Portuguese goods,” Voitsekhovsky also said.
The RSTC said there were plans to start a cooperation with Iranian manufacturers based on the opening of an initial 30 outlets.
9.1.11 Property & construction sector news
Western expats sell homes and move out of Turkish resorts for quieter life as Iranians, Russians move in
Iran identifies 1.6mn vacant homes, prepares to force properties on to market
Western expats and ‘long-stay’ tourists residing in Turkish seaside resorts are moving on to other locations given influxes of Iranian and Russian migrants fleeing unfavourable circumstances back home, according to Turkish media reports.
“People from Russia, Iran and also countries such as Iraq have started coming here quite recently. Alanya is seeing intensive migration and it continues to grow day by day,” Keriim Balytkay, president of Alanya Real Estate Brokers Association (ALEKOD) in Alanya, a beach resort city in Turkey’s southern Antalya Province, told local press.
He added: “As a result, Europeans want to leave the city as it gets too crowded. They are concerned about migration and the density [of inhabitation] that Alanya is getting. The Europeans are selling their apartments in Alanya because they prefer quiet places, they want to get away from the crowded environment.
“The main reason why they want to leave is not because of cultural conflict, it’s because of traffic and the density of people.”
Local councillor in Alanya, Fikret Arik, spoke of 20 Finns who sold their houses and moved from the city. "Many home sales are to those who come from the Middle East, and the formation of a new group of Alanya residents is pushing Europeans out of our city," he added.
Iranians in recent years have become the biggest foreign buyers of homes on the Turkish market, followed by Russians and Iraqis. Middle-class Iranian, Russian and other expat buyers are seen as often making property investments to avoid the consequences of further depreciation in their country’s national currency.
Towards 1.6mn suspected empty homes have been identified across Iran, Tasnim News Agency on April 27 reported Parvaneh Aslani, director general of the housing economics office of the Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, as saying.
Officials confronted by Iranians who cannot get a foot on the property ladder due to soaring house prices and the severely weakened Iranian rial (IRR) are looking to force some of these homes on to the market. Introduced regulations mean homeowners who refuse to rent a vacant home for at least a one-year period must pay half an annual rent in the form of a tax fine. Many Iranians
64 IRAN Country Report August 2022 www.intellinews.com