More than a hardware store
MR.DIY, a home improvement retailer from Malaysia, now has 1,000 stores in the Philippines, having opened its latest branch last week at Ayala Malls Circuit in Makati City. The new store is also its first “upscale” store. Compared to all of its other stores, it was built with a “customer first philosophy,” according to the company.
MR.DIY stores offer a variety of home essentials, hardware, toys, beauty products, gadgets, decor, and lifestyle products. The Regional Branch offers the same selection of materials, but includes improved lighting, low gondola racks, and research-based class integration and color design. The space is brighter and easier to navigate than your average MR.DIY branch, as guests during the May 29 launch discovered while browsing the store.
The layout of the tour-led store is as follows: the orange area is for toys, gifts, and fashion-driven items and is placed near the front to encourage exploration. The purple area for household essentials is placed in the middle to back sections for those with long shopping trips; The green space for hardware and DIY tools is found deep in the store because the buyers of these items are purpose driven. And the red area is for fast and promotional items and is located in the main shopper lane for more visibility.
“Over the years, we have been focusing on expanding and opening stores, trying different markets here in the Philippines. As we grew, we continued to understand how our customers behave. We finally decided, as the milestone of 1,000 stores was approaching, that it was time to bring all those lessons together and come up with this flagship store,” said Roselle BDIY, Philippines CEO, AndayaR. BusinessWorld at the opening of the Circuit branch.
“We knew that affordability was not enough. Yes, it will still be part of Mr DIY’s heart to make our products affordable and accessible, but it is not enough because we see that customers want a better experience,” he added.
The 1,565-square-meter (sq.m.) store is three times larger than a typical MR.DIY store, which is usually around 500 sq.m. Compared to the usual 16,000 items, the store on Circuit offers 20,000 items.
An unexpected bestseller, Ms. Andaya said Filipinos are buying a lot of cables, storage bins, LED lights for work areas, small fans, tech items like earphones, cleaning tools, and basic laundry items like detergent.
“The way to buy is amazing, maybe because we also provide a place for them to choose from different products,” he said. “In the beginning, in 2018, we didn’t know who exactly would support MR.DIY, but then we knew we wanted to target the Filipino family.”
MR.DIY head of sales in the Philippines, Mark Muhaymin, explained that one of the lesser-known areas in their stores is food and beverage (IF&B) part.
“This has actually become part of MR.DIY stores in other countries,” he said. “In the Philippines, only 51 stores so far have F&B. We will continue to roll it out, so you can expect more.”
FAST GROWING
The rapid growth of the retailer in the country can be seen from its rapid growth in the last two years. It was in 2024 that MR.DIY opened its 500thth Store, after six years of operation in the Philippines – and 2025 saw us open its 700th store, and its 1,000 in 2026th.
Ms. Andaya explained that this is something unique for the company, given her background of leading other vendors before this.
“It’s something we’re proud of, and I believe it wouldn’t have happened if the Filipinos didn’t get it the way they got it,” he said. “Our normal area is 500 sq.m., so it’s not like a normal store, doing 10 stores a year is already aggressive – but here, 10 stores a year is less than our monthly target.”
A common misconception is that MR.DIY is a hardware store (its first store in Malaysia was a store), but it has since evolved and offers a wide range of items from home products, electronics, to stationery, toys, gadgets, decor, pet care, beauty, and lifestyle categories – in addition to hardware.
Since the first store opened in 2005, it now has more than 5,000 stores across Asia and Europe. The Philippines is one of its biggest markets.
“Word of mouth helped a lot in the beginning, people were talking about things they found and bought from MR.DIY, on social media or with their families and friends, that’s when it started, the rest is history,” said Ms. Andaya.
It even earned the nickname “Pangsang budol store,” because of its ability to find shoppers who are looking for something to leave with a basket full of items.
As for why the Circuit branch was honored for being its flagship store, the management said that this location is part of their history as an emerging company.
“Our first store was in Bulacan, but this Ayala Circuit Mall had our second store. We were very small at the time,” explained Ms. Andaya. “Therefore, we found it appropriate and a sign of gratitude to our Ayala partners because they were the first chain of stores that opened their doors to us.”
He added that, because the market has changed, it was time for them to provide a new MR.DIY for Filipino families to experience.
The top MR.DIY store is located at 2n.d at the bottom of Ayala Malls Circuit in Makati City. MR.DIY is currently offering back-to-school deals of up to 35% off school essentials through June 30. — Brontë H. Lacsmana
