British Economical Society, Ltd.


The British Economical Society, Ltd., or "Ingiliz Kooperatifi" as it is widely known to the native of Kadikoy region in Istanbul, is a historical landmark store located in the Kadikoy Market Area across from the Armenian Church, Surp Takavor. It was first opened in 1879 by the British Whittall family of Moda, and is considered by most to be the first Supermarket of Turkey.

The owners

In 1922 Nessim Bension Arditi of Jewish descent and Luca Dimitriovich, a native of Macedonia, took over the business from the Whittalls and became the new owners of the store.] Within a few years they took in a new partner, Vasilis Curis, a Greek Istanbulite. Curis died in the 1960s and was succeeded by his son, Christo Curis. Arditi retired in 1974 and moved to Israel where he died in 1978. The partnership, thus, continued with Luca Dimitriovich, Christo Curis and Aaron "Henry" Arditi, son of Nessim Bension Arditi.
Henry Arditi died in Istanbul in 1988, followed by Luca Dimitriovich in 1996 and Christo Curis in 2009. Christo Curis had already left the store in 2006.
No heirs pursued the business and "Ingiliz Kooperatifi" officially ceased its business activities 127 years later, in 2006.

Name

The store was known to carry over 2000 different articles. Anything from hunting rifles to chinaware, chandeliers, porcelain goods, sewing equipment, stoves, coffee, the finest and hard to find delicatessen, dry goods, chocolates and biscuits... all, initially, imported from England. Hence, had the nickname "Ingiliz Pazari" in Turkish or "English Market".
Many officials, dignitaries their butlers or servants have visited the store and shopped there throughout the years. For the average resident of Kadikoy it was "where one would get the better quality stuff".
Rumor says it that the interior of the store always smelled like Europe and the polite, personalized attention given to each client each and everyday was never absent.