BY BESTENIGAR KARA
HAVING REACHED 50 STORES IN THE 18TH MONTH OF ITS PENETRATION TO THE TURKISH MARKET WITH USD 25M INVESTMENT TO DATE, MALAYSIA-BASED HOME IMPROVEMENT RETAIL CHAIN MR. D.I.Y. WILL RAISE ITS INVESTMENTS TO USD 45M IN TURKEY WITH A TARGET TO LAUNCH HUNDREDS OF STORES IN THE COUNTRY BY 2025.
The Malaysia-based home improvement retail chain MR. D.I.Y. will raise its investments to USD 45m in Turkey, according to Dilara Neyisci Cagli, COO of MR. D.I.Y. Turkey. The company has already received a direct investment of USD 25m. “We will continue to invest in Turkey in the upcoming period,” Cagli said in an exclusive interview with TR MONITOR.
MR. D.I.Y., which was founded in 2005, operates over 2,500 stores in Asia and Europe, including the countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Turkey, Spain, Singapore, Brunei, and Cambodia. The company entered Turkey in November 2021. “Turkey has an important position in our plans. We have taken the first step to Europe through Turkey. The Turkish market is open to development,” Dilara Neyisci Cagli noted. “Moreover, Turkish consumers are highly interested in decoration and household items. This is one of the main factors of our growth in the country,” she said, stressing that MR. D.I.Y.’s headquarter in Malaysia is highly satisfied with the performance of the Turkey operation. “We can state that Turkey is among the countries that MR. D.I.Y. places a special emphasis on. The company’s Turkey operation tops in Europe.”
MR. D.I.Y. launched 35 stores alone in 2022 in the country. The company opened its first store in Kirklareli this year. Dilara Neyisci Cagli emphasized the number of stores operated by MR. D.I.Y. reached 50 stores in the 18th month of its penetration into the Turkish market. “The total area of our stores is around 40,000 square meters,” she added. The company, which successively continues its store investments, aims to launch hundreds of stores in the country by 2025. “We aim to launch an MR. D.I.Y. store in each neighborhood by 2025 in Turkey to meet all non-food needs,” she added. In line with this goal, MR. D.I.Y.’s top priority for 2023 is also opening new stores and reaching consumers all over the country. “We provide the value-added to Turkish commerce with our investments in the country.”
OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE TURKISH MARKET
As Cagli says, MR. D.I.Y. offers over 18,000 different products under 10 main categories at its stores in Turkey. Consumers, who are interested in decoration and household items can find products under the categories of household, hardware, electrical and electronics, car accessories, stationery, sports, decoration, toys, gifts, and jewelry & cosmetics. “Turkey is worth of investment. We trust and believe in our country. We are optimistic about Turkey,” the MR. D.I.Y. COO noted. “The growth journey of our company, which entered Europe through store investments in Turkey, will continue in the upcoming period. We will grow with the stores to be launched in every corner of the country,” Cagli said, stressing that they continue store openings every month to meet all household and life needs.
To her, the main difference between MR. D.I.Y. and its rivals in Turkey is that there is not any store in the country with the concept that the company has. “Considering our product range, you can find whatever you look for at our stores from stationery to toys, from sports to kitchen and bathroom items,” Cagli said, adding that MR. D.I.Y. operates stores where shopping needs are easily met.
Moreover, the home improvement retailer also differentiates in the sector with its price policy as thousands of different qualified products are offered at affordable prices on the store shelves. “From this perspective, we create a feeling of trust for our consumers. We offer qualified products at competitive prices with our “Always Low Prices” motto,” the MR. D.I.Y. COO highlighted.
TO EMPLOY OVER 3,000 PEOPLE BY 2025
The most important strategy of MR. D.I.Y.’s Turkey operation is to grow the brand in the country, contribute to the Turkish economy by bringing investments, and create new jobs and dynamism, according to Dilara Neyisci Cagli, COO of MR. D.I.Y. Turkey. “We have rapidly proceeded since November 2021, when we launched our first store in Turkey. We sold nearly 4 million products in a year,” Cagli said. Moreover, the company reached 1 million customers in Turkey in the same period. “We estimate this figure to exceed 3 million at the end of this year,” she added.
Within this frame, the company also increases its employment in line with new stores. MR. D.I.Y. currently employs more than 400 people at its stores in Turkey. “We aim to employ over 3,000 people in 2025,” Cagli noted.
Although MR. D.I.Y. doesn’t have a manufacturing plant or production in Turkey, the firm currently collaborates with more than 200 local suppliers. The company grows directly and indirectly with over 400 suppliers in the country. “We have been able to provide input to 2,500 households in Turkey thanks to the steps we have taken in this field,” Cagli said, stressing that they also include their local suppliers in the company’s global network. “We also aim to make our local manufacturers permanent suppliers of our global retail network to contribute to Turkey’s foreign trade.”
EYES TO LAUNCH A STORE IN THE QUAKE-HIT AREA
As Cagli says, a deep bond emerged between MR. D.I.Y. and consumers in Turkey. “This bond has become even stronger due to the February 6 twin quakes, which deeply saddened us all,” she added. The company immediately delivered its aid, including container toilets, to the disaster area following the earthquake. Moreover, the firm created job postings for earthquake victims in collaboration with the human resources consultancy company Youthhall. “We also donated to the scholarship campaign created by Cagdas Yasami Destekleme Dernegi for female students, who study at university and have been adversely affected by twin quakes, on March 8, when the International Women’s Day is celebrated,” Dilara Neyisci Cagli noted. Furthermore, one of the biggest goals of MR. D.I.Y. is to launch its first store in the quake-hit area. “Our efforts continue for this,” Cagli added.
FROM A SINGLE HARDWARE STORE TO 2,500 LOCATIONS
The Malaysian home improvement retailer MR. D.I.Y. started its operations as a consumer hardware store in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia in July 2005. Today, it operates over 2,500 stores in 10 Asian and European countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, India, Turkey, Spain, Singapore, Brunei, and Cambodia. The company has become among the largest home improvement retailer in the world thanks to the expansion of the store network. MR. D.I.Y. entered Europe through Turkey after it launched a store at Meydan Istanbul Mall in Istanbul in November 2021. The company opened up a store in Talavera de la Reina in Spain in January 2022. The firm also launched its second store in Madrid, Spain. MR. D.I.Y. has been listed on the Bursa Malaysia (MYX) as of October 2020.
