Albayrak Group is a Turkish multinational conglomerate company based in Istanbul, Turkey. For the first three decades it was a construction company, but since 1982 it has expanded into other sectors, including transport and logistics, waste management, and media.^[1] It acquired the Yeni Şafak newspaper in 1997.^[1]

The group has been contracted by the government multiple times because of its close ties with AK Parti.^[4] It is also active internationally and has done construction of Lahore Metro Bus and is currently managing Mogadishu Port in Somalia and Conakry port in Guinea.^[5][6]

History

Albayrak Group is a joint venture by Ahmet Albayrak and his brothers Bayram Albayrak, Nuri Albayrak, Kazım Albayrak, Mustafa Albayrak, and Muzaffer Albayrak. The group kicked off commercial activities in 1952 in construction industry upon initiatives by Hacı Ahmet Albayrak.

Albayrak Group is active across construction, industry, service, logistics, and media with nearly 80 companies and publishing brands. It employs over 10 thousand people across its affiliates worldwide. Stocks of public limited companies operating under the Group, notably TÜMOSAN Motor ve Traktör (TMSN), Trabzon Liman İşletmeciliği (TLMAN), Platform Turizm Taşımacılık (PLTUR) ve Ereğli Tekstil (ERGLI) are traded in Borsa Istanbul Stock Exchange.

Albayrak Group, alongside its activities in Turkey, is engaged in international operations in port management, construction, public transportation, waste management and real estate industries across four countries in Europe, Asia and Africa.

Albayrak Construction, the first establishment of the group, started operating in 1952. The company has undertaken a wide range of major construction projects including Muş Train Station (1954), 4. Levent-Taksim Subway (2001),Kartal-Kaynarca Subway (2007), as well as tunnels, plants, shopping malls, hospitals, stadiums, and collective housing projects. It has been engaged in international activities since 2010.

Albayrak Group started activities in personnel transportation in 1980, expanded its scope of activity to fleet leasing in the following years, uniting its activities in service industry under the roof of Platform Turizm company. The company offers transportation services in Lahor, Ravalpindi, Islamabad in Pakistan, and in the Guinean capital city of Conakry.

Nakil Lojistik provides logistics services to companies operating in different sectors while being engaged in intermodal transportation. Havabüs has been operating passenger shuttles from/to airports/city centers since 2011. The Group has established a waste recycling plant in Istanbul in 1992, which was the first initiative of Turkey in this field. Group companies offering services in waste management were united under the roof of Yeşil Adamlar in 2010. Bayfa Geri Dönüşüm became operational in 2009 for systematic collection and recycling of wastes.

Ereğli Tekstil, established in 1934 by Sümerbank, was taken over by Albayrak Group following its privatization in 1997. The factory manufactures camouflage and non-camouflage uniforms having nano-technology, adapted to cold and hot climate, for military and police. Established in 1998,Vogel Spor Tekstil mainly manufactures special garments, boots, safety shoes, and accessories to increase safety-at-work for people who work in different sectors, including soldiers and police foces.

In 2003, Albayrak Group has taken over the thirty-year right of operation for Port of Trabzon, the largest port of the Eastern Black Sea Region. Port of Trabzon serves as the starting point of oil exploration activities in the Black Sea. Transbaş Trabzon Free Trade Zone is also located within the Port of Trabzon.

The Group is currently engaged in logistics activities abroad following undertaking of the operations in the Port of Mogadishu in Somali in 2014, Port of Conakry in Guinea in 2018, and Port of Baku in Azerbaijan in 2022.

In 2003, the group acquired SEKA Balıkesir Kağıt Fabrikası and established Varaka Paper Company, which manufactures paper using waste paper and paper products.

Established in 1976, TÜMOSAN manufactures diesel engine, tractor and agricultural equipment, which was taken over by Albayrak Group following a privatization in 2004. Adopting the National Integrated Tactical Wheelchair Project, TÜMOSAN has made the first Pusat prototype. TÜMOSAN Döküm, manufacturing iron casts has started its production activities in 2012.

Established in 2011, Kademe A.Ş. manufactures and exports compact and vacuum road sweeping vehicles, container washing vehicles, hydraulic compacted garbage containers to 46 countries.

Albayrak Group acquired Sugar Production Plants in Erzurum and Erzincan in 2018, streamlined the facilities and started production of crystal sugar under the Sukkar Şeker brand. Also the group established Mezra Ziraat in 2019 to cultivate sugar beet by renting arable land in the region, to introduce state-of-the-art agricultural practices and tools to local farmers, and to lead them in the industry.

Engaged in the mining industry, Albayrak Group established Ağa Maden in 2011 to extract and process any type of underground and open mines and natural resources.

The group’s initiatives in tourism includes the taking over the operation of Birun Kümbet Mountain Resort located in Giresun Kümbet Plateau in 2007. Having acquired Teos Village Resort in İzmir-Seferihisar in 2018, Albayrak Group has undertaken the Katre Island Hotel’s operation located on the Island of Democracy and Freedom in 2023.

Other service industry companies are Sistemli Dağıtım Hizmetleri - natural gas, water and electricity meter reading, distribution, maintenance and billing services of subscriptions in various cities of Turkey; Rasat Trafik Çözümleri - building systems to ensure safety of life and property; Nakil Lojistik- In addition to its logistics activities, the group creates freight transport applications with, using technology.

Vartabi e-commerce website went online in 2022, offering a shopping experience based on digital collective work. Albil Merkezi Hizmetler, established to create solutions in Information Technologies, to keep track of digital transformation processes, and to implement the right technology investments, offers technologic solutions to customers both at home and abroad.

Joined the media for the first time in 1998, after having acquired Yeni Şafak Newspaper. Local TV channel TVNET started broadcasting in 2007. TVNET Radio became operational in 2023 for Istanbul at 102.0 Hz. Magazines published by the Group are Derin Tarih, Nihayet, Z Raporu, Lokma, Cins, Skyroad, Gerçek Hayat, Post Öykü, Teklif, Genç Motto, Bilge Çocuk, and Bilge Minik.

Ketebe Publishing House was established in 2018, publishing novels, poems, historic books, philosophy books, literature and children’s books.

Albayrak Group is actively engaged in digital publishing via popular platforms including yenisafak.com, GZT.com (Arkitekt, Mecra, Zpor, Gazete Manşet, GZTMZT, Jurnal.ist).

With Albayrak Medya Dağıtım, handling sales, marketing, subscription, and distribution activities of newspapers, books and magazines published by its brands, and Albayrak Medya Satış Pazarlama, offering sales of advertising spaces through its channels, the Group consolidates its presence in publishing and media.

Albayrak Foundation was established in 2007 as part of the group’s social responsibility initiatives, and helps people in education, culture-arts, scientific research and development, healthcare and environment, and in social welfare.

The group founded Albayrak Spor in 1989 as a football club. Since 2013, the club has trained over 1000 amateur sports players across a wide range of federation-approved branches including karate, badminton, athletics, wrestling, archery, judo, table tennis, tennis, swimming, and taekwondo.

Subsidiaries

References

External links

• Official website