Mr. DIY sets up in South Africa

South Africa is shaping up to be the 14th market for Malaysia-born home goods retailer Mr. DIY. The South African unit of the retail company is unobtrusively laying the groundwork for its foray into the country by setting up its online presence and hiring personnel.

DIY International has learned that Mr. DIY South Africa now has an official Linkedin account. The account, which announces that the retailer is “coming soon in South Africa”, lists a phone number for the company as well as a link to Mr. DIY South Africa’s official website. The website is currently a placeholder, but already links to the landing page of the Mr. DIY group’s website. However, the group website does not yet reflect Mr. DIY South Africa’s official website on the tab that shows all its markets.

Key company officials are already in place. These include Jamie Williams, who has more than 20 years of retail experience in South Africa and is identified as head of business development at the company; Refiloe Mokoena, head of operations at Mr. DIY Malaysia who is based in Johannesburg and "responsible for all operations in the South African market"; Verity Lester, human resources manager; Khumo Mabe, procurement specialist; and Busisiwe Malaza, finance manager. The officials' Linkedin profiles reveal that they joined Mr. DIY between October 2024 and February 2025.

A Linkedin post of a high-ranking official of another Mr. DIY unit also hinted that South Africa would be the next market for the group. Mr. DIY Philippines chief executive Roselle Andaya, in a post on the first Mr. DIY Leadership Summit, mentioned that Mr. DIY South Africa, along with Mr. DIY Poland – the 13th market and the second EU market for the Malaysian brand – would "soon be with us".

New continent, with copycats

An entry into South Africa will mark another milestone for Mr. DIY – it will be the first market for the Malaysian company on the African continent, where at least two enterprising online businesses have already coopted the Mr. DIY brand name and business model before the Malaysian discounter could set foot in it. One, in Lagos, Nigeria (https://mrdiystore.com), is named Mr. DIY. The other, in Cape Town, South Africa (https://www.facebook.com/MR.DIYHardware/), is called Mr. DIY Hardware.

Mr. DIY's introduction to the African continent follows a successful southeast and south Asian expansion and an ongoing push into Europe. Mr. DIY chief operations officer Leo Gan announced last year that the company was "exploring new…