Turkish candy seller opens 57 Saudi stores in a single day

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

The high executives of Turkish Kervan company pose during the opening ceremony of one of 57 branches that the company has launched within a single day.

Turkish candy producer Kervan Gıda and its exclusive brand Bebeto, has opened 57 branches in Saudi Arabia within in a single day, with ambitions to raise the number of branches worldwide to 500 within five years.

“We have opened stores selling jelly candy in 57 different Saudi shopping malls. The jelly market is growing by two-digit figures in this country, and we want to take a cut of this growth,” said Şükrü Başar, the board chairman of Kervan Gıda, at the press meeting during the opening ceremonies in Saudi Arabia.

The company, which exports jellies to 85 countries, accounting for 43.4 percent of Turkey’s jelly exports alone, aims to raise its exports to the oil-rich country to $10 million in two years, as well as increase the number of branches to 200.

Başar pointed out that the company has cooperated with the second-largest operator of commercial malls in Saudi Arabia, Al Othaim Group, which will open the door to conducting business with other Gulf countries.

“This is a strategic step for Bebeto, since Saudi Arabia is like a base and a satellite in the region,” the chairman said, adding that the products or concepts that are well-received in Saudi Arabia can easily and quickly spread to neighboring countries.

The company owns 80 Bebeto candy stores under its “fun island” concept in numerous countries, including Azerbaijan, Algeria, Tunisia, Russia, Palestine, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. The next goal is to reach 500 stores within five years.

Turquality program support

Kervan Gida and its Bebeto brand is part of the Turquality Brand Support Program, a state-backed program that encourages Turkish companies to grow into globally established brands by providing support to their production, marketing, sales and post-sales.

“We are here thanks to the Turquality program. Thanks to it, we were able to carry our brand into foreign markets and conduct business under our name by establishing foreign bases,” Başar said.
Kervan Gıda was established with capital from Turkey alone and provides employment for 850 workers, posting a 120-million-Turkish-Liras endorsement last year.

The company plans to be traded on the stock exchange with a public offering by 2015, Başar announced during the press meeting.