LC Waikiki, the largest fast-fashion retailer in Turkey, in June quietly launched production at a 150-worker facility in northern Syria, Turkish daily Ekonomi reported on August 25.

The plant was built on the outskirts of Aleppo, inside the newly reactivated Al-Rai Industrial City. The company plans to expand the workforce at the plant to 1,000 within three years. It will cater not only to domestic consumers in Damascus and Homs, but will also dispatch shipments to the EU and the UAE.

In May, LC Waikiki opened its first post-war store in Syria at Damascino Mall in Damascus. Outlets in Aleppo, Homs and Latakia are slated to follow.

Video: A video story about LC Waikiki’s Aleppo plant released by Syria’s industry ministry.

Global player

At end-2025, LC Waikiki had more than 1,300 stores across the globe. It posted a turnover of $6bn last year while its export revenues amounted to $1.2bn. The company has been the market leader in Turkey since 2004.

LC Waikiki was launched in France in 1988. Six percent of the company still belongs to the family of George Amouyal, one of the founders. In 1997, Turkish company Taha Tekstil, owned by Sefik Yilmaz Dizdar and Mustafa Kucuk, acquired 93% of LC Waikiki.The Kucuk family currently controls a 47% stake in the company while the Dizdar family holds 35%.

The company opened its first retail store in Sisli district of Istanbul. In 2009, LC Waikiki opened its first store abroad, in Romania.

The worth of LC Waikiki promoted Kucuk and Dizdar to the Forbes’ billionaires list in 2016.

More investments on the way

Syrian authorities in 1H received 234 investment applications related to the textile and readywear industries. Isparko, another Turkish apparel maker, is conducting feasibility studies for joint-venture factories with Syrian investors.

Istanbul-based Mikrotx is, meanwhile, spearheading machinery and equipment partnerships to establish new yarn spinning mills in Syria. Also, Turkish suppliers Mersan and Tumkalip are negotiating technical assistance deals to retrofit battered production lines.

In July, the NASTEX trade fair drew more than 300 prospective equipment suppliers and financiers to Syria.