Tophane Warehouses Administration book by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şefik Memiş
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Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şefik Memiş, one of the academicians of the Department of Economics of the Faculty of Business Administration of our university, has authored a book about the history of Tophane Warehouses Administration, one of the first subsidiaries of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce (ITO).
“The First Subsidiary of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce: Tophane Warehouses Administration” book published by the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, sheds light on the history of the Tophane Warehouses Administration, which was established in Tophane warehouses.
There used to be warehouses where import and export products were stored in the place where Galataport is located today. At the time, the shortage of warehouses in Istanbul, Türkiye’s gateway to the world and the center of foreign trade, had reached its peak. Therefore, the business world was in a deadlock and wanted a solution to this problem.
The problem had been discussed in the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce and Industry [ITSO/ITO] Assembly for days. As a solution, it was considered to commission the idle warehouses in Tophane. Finally, these warehouses were allocated to the Chamber with the efforts of Mr. Rahmi, the Minister of Commerce, and Mr. Sadullah, the General Manager of the Navigation Administration and a member of the ITO.
Thus, ITO undertook the management of Tophane Warehouses in January 1927 by establishing its first subsidiary, Tophane Warehouses Administration. In this way, the warehouse shortage crisis ended. Tophane Warehouses were managed successfully by the Administrative Board consisting of Istanbul Chamber of Commerce council members. Tophane Warehouses Administration even made a profit in addition to paying its rent. However, this success story did not last long. The warehouses were given to Ford Motor Company to establish an automobile assembly plant in Istanbul that would serve Russia.
ITO had made a great sacrifice, giving its warehouses to Ford Motor Company. However, Ford Motor Company left the assembly plant after a while as they could not find the market they wanted. Tophane Warehouses Administration, established by Istanbul Chamber of Commerce in Tophane warehouses, became a source of pride as the first official subsidiary of the Chamber. Had this facility not been allocated to the Ford factory shortly after it became a subsidiary of the Chamber, it would have been an important subsidiary and we would have celebrated its 100th anniversary these days.
The history of Tophane Warehouses Administration, which was short but turned into a great success story, takes place in detail in this book authored by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Şefik Memiş.
