{"id":864395,"date":"2026-06-25T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-25T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=864395"},"modified":"2026-06-25T17:11:52","modified_gmt":"2026-06-25T15:11:52","slug":"new-store-taking-on-builders-warehouse-and-leroy-merlin-in-south-africa-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/864395\/new-store-taking-on-builders-warehouse-and-leroy-merlin-in-south-africa-photos\/","title":{"rendered":"New store taking on Builders Warehouse and Leroy Merlin in South Africa \u2013 photos"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Less than a year after opening its first South African store, MR.DIY is rapidly expanding its local footprint in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The retailer is positioning itself as a major competitor in the home improvement and value retail market, which is dominated by chains such as Builders Warehouse and Leroy Merlin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On Tuesday, 23 June, the Malaysian retailer said it is approaching its 10th South African store and expects to have 14 outlets open by the end of the year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to launching new branches, it has established local offices and warehouse operations, creating employment opportunities for more than 150 South Africans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The expansion to South Africa marks the company\u2019s first move into Africa. Globally, MR.DIY has grown from a single hardware store established in Malaysia in 2005 into a retailer with almost 5,000 stores across Asia and Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The group now operates in countries including Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, T\u00fcrkiye, Spain and Poland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unlike traditional warehouse-style home improvement retailers, MR.DIY focuses on smaller mall-based stores stocked with between 17,000 and 18,000 products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These products span hardware, household goods, d\u00e9cor, electrical accessories, stationery, toys, and everyday home essentials.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strategy allows it to target shoppers looking for practical, low-cost purchases during routine shopping trips rather than requiring a dedicated visit to a large-format hardware store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This approach places it in competition with established players such as Builders Warehouse, South Africa\u2019s largest DIY chain with more than 100 stores nationwide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another competitor is Leroy Merlin, which operates a handful of large flagship stores concentrated in major economic hubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MR.DIY believes its focus on convenience, variety and affordability gives it a distinct position in the market. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

By using relatively compact retail spaces in busy shopping centres, it can expand into areas where constructing a large warehouse-format store may not be economically viable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Expansion plans <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Head of Business Development Jamie Williams said the company\u2019s rapid growth over the past year has exceeded expectations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I think that this time a year ago we didn’t have a store open and now we’re heading towards 14 stores by the end of the year, it’s quite a journey,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that they\u2019ve grown the team, established their own offices and warehouse operations, and now employ more than 120 people in full-time positions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt’s been a roller coaster, but looking back, the things that felt like huge challenges at the time now feel like another lifetime ago,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe’re still a small drop in the ocean, but these are more than 120 people in full-time employment who didn’t work here this time last year. If we continue to grow the way we’re planning to, those numbers will continue to increase.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The company added that every South African outlet is staffed by local employees and supported by a South African operational structure, with each new branch expected to create between 10 and 15 jobs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The retailer also promotes internal career progression, with employees advancing from entry-level positions into supervisory and management roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Looking ahead, Williams said the company intends to continue expanding cautiously rather than pursuing growth for its own sake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe want to walk before we run. There are lots we want to do and lots we will do. We’ve achieved a lot in 12 months, and we’ll continue building on that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur focus is on building a strong foundation and then scaling with intent. We have a clear pipeline of stores and a long-term vision for South Africa.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

“By 2027 and beyond, our goal is to have a meaningful national footprint that allows us to reach far more communities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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MR.DIY in South Africa \u2013 photos<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A Malaysian giant is taking on Builders Warehouse and Leroy Merlin in South Africa by taking over one Shopping mall at a time. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":864427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[24328,18785,25083,853],"class_list":["post-864395","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-builders-warehouse","tag-leroy-merlin","tag-mr-diy","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864395","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=864395"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864395\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":864705,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/864395\/revisions\/864705"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/864427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=864395"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=864395"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=864395"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}