A Sectoral Analysis on Industrial Geography: Cologne Industry in Balikesi？r

Throughout history, people’s interest in pleasant smelling scents gave rise worldwide to the large perfume and cologne industry. Society in Turkey easily adopted cologne because of its European origin, and it became an important sector due to its manufacturing and marketing processes. Although cologne is distributed throughout Turkey, some cities have become prominent by specializing in the manufacturing of cologne. Similarly, the province of Bal？kesir, a center that stands out in the production and trade of cologne in Turkey, is addressed within the scope of the study presented here. The research examined the history and the development of the cologne industry in Bal？kesir province. The study covered the spatial relationships and connections of the processes of manufacturing and marketing cologne. The data evaluated in the study is based on the fieldwork, the questionnaires applied to the enterprises in the sample area, and the interviews with the experts. The data and information obtained in the research process were used to conduct a strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis of the sector under examination. So, the research findings and the results of the SWOT analysis were aimed at constituting a source of reference for the decisions to be taken, and the strategies to be developed on the future of the sector. As the firms manufacturing cologne in Bal？kesir are generally micro- and small-scale enterprises, the production activities are predominantly categorized as home-type and workshop-type manufacturing. The research found that the cologne industry in Bal？kesir had a competitive advantage concerning producing high-quality products besides other benefits such as its deep-rooted past, sectoral experience and accumulation, and product diversity. However, the inadequacy of the sector to provide a skilled and technical labor force, manufacturers’ problems about the local and national organization, and the difficulties experienced in training new masters have limited the growth potential of the cologne sector in the Bal？kesir province