Top online retailers like Ajio, Reliance halt sale of Turkish brands

Myntra and Reliance-owned Ajio have stopped selling Turkish apparel brands on their portals amid growing boycott calls since Turkey backed Pakistan during the recent military conflict between India and Pakistan. Myntra has temporarily halted sales of all Turkish brands including Trendyol, owned by internet giant Alibaba, for which it has an exclusive right to market in India, according to two industry executives privy to the development.

Reliance, too, has suspended all of its Turkish apparel brands portfolio such as Koton, LC Waikiki and Mavi sold on its online platform Ajio, with all their products showing out of stock.

"The visibility of Turkish brands was proactively restricted on Myntra when the tensions started to escalate last weekend and was later suspended completely on Thursday," one of the officials cited above told ET. "While there is no clarity on the availability of the brands, the company is reassessing its partnership in case the issue escalates further."

Trendyol, the biggest Turkish ecommerce firm, is among the fastest-growing and top-selling international women's western wear brands on Myntra.

While Myntra did not respond to ET's request for comment until press time on Friday, Reliance Retail said it remained unwavering in its commitment to serving national interest above all else.

"In solidarity with our fellow citizens, we are actively reassessing our offerings across platforms to ensure they reflect the values and sentiments of the country," a Reliance spokesperson said.

"We have also closed our office in Turkey," the spokesperson added. "The process of delisting Turkish brands started a few days ago and complete removal of Turkish brands was done on Friday," an official aware of the developments said.

Amazon is still selling Turkish apparel and lifestyle brands in India, sources said.

On Friday, more than 125 trade leaders from across the country resolved to boycott all forms of trade and commercial engagement with Turkey and Azerbaijan including travel and tourism.

The Confederation of All India Traders' (CAIT) decision includes a nationwide import and export boycott of Turkish and Azerbaijani goods and no new trade deals or business ties.

The resolution comes in response to the stand taken by Turkey and Azerbaijan in support of Pakistan after India launched Operation Sindoor, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, to avenge last month's Pahalgam terror attack.

"The collective Indian trading community views this as a betrayal, particularly considering the humanitarian and diplomatic support extended to both these countries in the past by India," CAIT said.

Since last week, social networks have seen widespread calls to boycott both Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Reliance Industries had partnered Turkish textile major Kıvanc Tekstil to manufacture and sell sustainable fabric brands over five years ago. A Reliance spokesperson said the partnership was terminated long ago.

"Today, they are just one of countless global customers, with absolutely no preferential treatment. Their business constitutes a minuscule part of RIL's operations," the spokesperson said.