Dear Visitors

I was asked by Research and Development to write a message to the visitors of our site. I think it is best to write about our beliefs.[A1]  As known with any successful business, there are challenges, hardships and obstacles that confronted  our projects due to the economic and political dynamics of the surrounding regions, but we have continually strived forward to make this company what it is today.

In 1984, we established a competent company that sells stationery and school supplies in partnership with other dealers. We called it CANDA. Then, the global products began pouring in from Germany, Italy, UK, France, Japan and the United States. Thus, the Turkish market was quickly saturated with such products. Back then, Chinese goods were virtually nonexistent. Meanwhile it appeared that toys, gifts and accessories had become popular consumer goods, so we decided to tap into this market, and our business was booming. We continued this successful partnership together for 11 years.

Our business had matured enough to stand on its own feet, therefore we made a decisive and bold action to gain independence from our partners and we started to work alone. In 1995, we established our toys, gifts and accessories retail business. We called it CANTOY Ltd. But shortly after the start of the company, the Turkish lira had begun to crumble against the dollar. The business suffered tremendously due to the currency fluctuation. Now was the time to seek an alternative more sustainable income that was not volatile to the currency fluctuation.

Because I love children and have three of my own, I believe everything belongs to a child's world. I decided to enter into the clothing and children fashion sector. Hence, we liquidated our remaining stock from the toy business and used the money to launch a modest showroom in 1996.  The showroom was located in the old market near the Grand Mosque with an area of 24m2.

My wife, Mrs. Ilknur, helped us greatly with the business. My eldest son, Enes, graduated from high school at that time and decided to halt his university education in order to work with my wife and I on the business and to support his younger brother, Yunus Emre, to get into university. At this stage, my wife, Enes and I were working together. Yunus Emre also helped us on weekends and whenever he had some free time to spare. After Yunus Emre graduated in 2002 from the University of Eskisehir in Civil Engineering, he also decided to work and help the family business.  The business was doing well, despite the recent hardships faced by our economy in Turkey. We continued to expand to a second showroom and things were working out well. By 2006, CANTOY Company became stronger in the clothing market after moving from its old location to the new showroom.

We own a showroom with an area of 500m2. CANTOY company no longer belongs to Eyyup Othman alone. His sons have their own shares in CANTOY Company. We grew up together in our business, which God has blessed for us over the years. What gave us a competitive advantage was the introduction of the newborn section. We have increased the quality, brands and design of our clothes. Each age group was assigned a specific space in the store, an automated logistical aspect of our import and export activities to keep up with the international standard and to be a cost-effective and sustainable business of the 21st century.

Naturally, we needed to increase our human resources as the business expanded. After operating the business successfully, we were in need of businessmen and traders from neighboring countries to attend the exhibitions held in Istanbul[A2] . And it was very important to participate in such an event that involved thousands of traders from different countries. What helped us make it to the first position[A3] ? It was the excellent quality of service which we provided to our visitors coming to our stand at the exhibition. In fact, we are not only presenting the best products and prices, but also honesty and integrity in dealing with our clients. We started gaining popularity and a place in the global markets.

Now we have businessmen from many Arab countries, European countries, the Russian Federation, and the Nordic countries. Besides that, after our entry into different global markets, we felt that we required more places to showcase our products since we increased to more brands and varieties, and countless types of clothings. We started looking for a more suitable space in the same area, but we could not find what we needed. So we started to look elsewhere, and finally we found a place close to where we are now around Vishna St.

Thank God, working in the new complex commenced in 2011. The complex includes a five-floor building with total area of 2500m2. The complex floors were distributed as follows: the ground floor (1st floor ) was allocated for goods and a showroom in winter to display WINTER PRODUCTS.  The second floor includes all different children's suits, trousers and other varieties of goods for age groups 0 to 16 years. The third and fourth floors were allocated only for newborns, pregnancy kits and early childhood products and goods. Upstairs, on the fifth floor of the building, houses our administration and management offices of the organization, the prayer facilities for men and women, and a bathing place ( abdesthana ). In addition, there is a Cafe on the fifth floor serving all kinds of hot and cold drinks for employees, visitors and customers, and also serves lunch for staff and visitors, with plenty of food cooked daily to feed about sixty people prepared by some of the best chefs.

CANTOY currently has 38 employees including administration, three of which are experts in serving foreign customers. They provide customer service in Arabic, English, Russian and Turkish, and play an important role in the exhibitions, because they are permanently located at the exhibitions and communicate with all entrepreneurs, merchants and visitors in their own languages.

Our government has given high importance for foreign trade, and has signed many agreements with other governments. This has given our organization a great boost. So our Istanbul-based showroom witnessed the commencement of many of our prospect-trade project with other countries in 2013. With the beginning of the recovery of the Turkish economy, and subsequently increase demands for Turkish goods because of its quality merchandises and competitive prices, Istanbul became the Foreign Trading center of Turkey and a destination for businessmen from all over the world.

2013 was a prosperous year, thus lead to the inauguration of a new complex that housed all our goods at headquarters in BURSA. And the search for a bigger more suitable showroom in Istanbul had begun. We decided to open the showroom in the LALELI area. We established a showroomconsisting of four floors and a total area of 400m2. CANTOY company had built a reputable name and began occupying front positions in the foreign business community and gaining a good reputation among businessmen coming from other countries.

Our customers coordinate their business deals with our staff since the staff handles all the details in making the customer’s trip go as smooth as possible. The staff buys the airfare tickets, secures bookings of good hotels, receives the client at the airport, and brings them all the way to the headquarter in BURSA. The staff ensures our customers are comfortable and they provide all the best services, including shopping directly from the factories which we deal with. Istanbul showroom staffs communicate with the customers in the following languages: Turkish, English, Arabic, Russian, Kyrgyz and Uzbek. Many of our customers began shopping via the internet and communicating through technology such as Skype to save on travel time and cost. Our ambition with regard to the future is great. We have so many projects that are now undergoing feasibility studies.

Finally, we are in CANTOY Company old and young; administrators and staff are very close and feel like one big family. We share in each other’s joys and sorrows, celebrating and sharing birthday cakes. We are a true family, dealing with each other as one team. Our people are our asset, thus our strong links will not be shaken by pitfalls and obstacles. We share that motto of love and care with not only our staff, but also our customers.

This shiny image remains in the memory of all those who visited and dealt with CANTOY company. Under the roof of CANTOY Company there is a large family. CANTOY company is a big tree that accommodates all of us. We are happy when we are healthy and well in the shade of this big tree together. Come with us to keep this tree green and growing and with which under it, we can all take rest. I give my best wishes to all of you.

 

May the Peace and Mercy of God be upon you.

 

Ayoub Ottman