ESE Analysis

1,157,190 units of real estate were sold in Turkey in 2013, the figures were announced in a report from Turkish Statistics Institution (Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu/ TÜİK),

The majority of sales were in Istanbul, with a number of 234,789 units, 20,3% of total number of sales

Second city with highest number of sales was Ankara, with 137,773 units sold, 6,3% of all sales

Third city on the list was Izmir, 72,421 units of real estate sold, 6,3% of all sales

Additionally; 87,639 units of real estate were sold in January 2014 in Turkey

Leading global retail chain H&M will open one of 10 exclusive concept flagship stores in Istanbul - Bagdat Caddesi, in Fall 2014

Apple Set to Open First Turkish Retail Store in January 2014

Following an extended effort over the past several years, Apple is set to open its first retail store in Istanbul, Turkey at beginning of 2014, reports The Wall Street Journal. The store will reportedly span over 2000 square meters (over 20,000 square feet) and will be located in the heart of Istanbul's new multi-use Zorlu Center, between luxury retailers Burberry and Louis Vutton.

The store is currently under construction and surrounded by a barricade, but is reportedly set to feature a cubic glass ceiling, making it only the second store to boast the architectural feature. Previous photos have shown the store to be located underneath a central plaza at the shopping center, with the barricades perhaps enclosing a plaza-level entryway similar to that seen at Apple's iconic Fifth Avenue retail store located in New York City. The report also states that Apple is working on a total of four stores in the country, with the Zorlu store scheduled to be the first to open.