Turkish brands, which have 4,396 shops in 125 countries, continue to open an average of two new shops abroad per day, the head of the United Brands Association (BMD) said.

"I believe they will continue to open shops rapidly and reach around 5,000 shops abroad in the second half of 2019," Sinan Öncel told Anadolu Agency (AA). He added, in other words, Turkish brands will double the number of their shops abroad in 3 years. Öncel also said local brands have some 12,884 sales points across 125 countries. He noted that Turkish brands have 2,500 shops abroad in 2016, and that they managed 650 and 850 new shops in 2017 and 2018, respectively.

Russia is the main destination for Turkish brands with 636 shops, followed by Kazakhstan with 320 shops and Saudi Arabia with 294 shops, he stressed.

Romania, Iraq, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Iran, Morocco and Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus are other top destinations for Turkish brands, he noted.

The Turkish government's program, named Turquality, supports firms that aim to become international brands with cost incentives for branding, education, advertising and consultancy.