Poland next target for Mr. DIY?

Malaysia’s top home improvement retailer Mr. DIY appears to be scouting Poland as a potential market for its planned expansion in Europe. Leo Gan, Mr. DIY’s senior vice president overseeing business development, retail and warehouse operations, recently went to the country for a “business trip” and divulged on social media that he found Poland to be a “very dynamic, competitive, yet promising market”. On his Linkedin account, he said in a post: “[I] hope to have Mr. DIY stores flourish here soon.”

Gan’s announcement dovetails with DIY International’s earlier report that the Malaysian retailer was looking to penetrate more of Europe following its success in Turkey – where it has been operating for two years and has opened 62 stores as of this writing – and after entering the European Union via Spain. Earlier this year, Mr. DIY Turkey chief operating officer and board member Dilara Neyişçi Çağlı disclosed that the Asian retailer had already begun doing research on eastern European markets.

Mr. DIY is also widely expected to make its debut in Greece, where it already has a subsidiary that is headquartered in the upmarket neighbourhood of Kolonaki in Athens. Gan had visited business associates in the country last year, leading to speculations that it would be the eleventh market for the Malaysian retailing powerhouse.

However, Mr. DIY opted to instead return to Southeast Asia and to open its first stores in Vietnam. Mr. DIY may yet announce its twelfth market before the end of the year – Gan had earlier said that apart from its Vietnam foray, the home improvement retailer was looking to enter a second international market before the end of 2023.