Poland to become Mr. DIY’s hub for Eastern and Central Europe

After introducing itself around the southern and central parts of Poland, Asian home goods retailer Mr. DIY has made its way to the country’s capital city. Mr. DIY Poland’s business development manager Magdalena Nazarewicz confirmed that the first store in Warsaw had its grand opening on Friday, 18 July. The 1,072 m² store is located at Galeria Wileńska, a mixed use development. It is bigger than the previous stores opened in the country - namely, in  Zabrze, Krakow, Piotrków Trybunalski and Bielsko-Biała - which have sales areas of between 400 and 800 m². 

"[The] Warsaw soft opening happened [on 16 July] and on 18 July, the grand opening event is coming with lots of entertainment for customers," Nazarewicz told DIY International prior to the public opening.

Mr. DIY Poland noted that the company "fits perfectly into the offer of Galeria Wileńska, complementing the segment of articles necessary in every home". The branch is the first of the four that the Malaysian-born brand is set to open in Warsaw this summer.  Apart from the Galeria Wileńska store, Mr. DIY Poland also plans to set up shop at Blue City Shopping Centre (599 m²), Zielony Targówek Shopping Centre (894 m²), and Galeria Młociny (the biggest, at 1,231 m²).

“It is no coincidence that we chose retail schemes with a stable position in the city and its surroundings, eagerly chosen by local communities and with such sets of tenants that we can complement them perfectly and precisely,” Nazarewicz said. "We are opening almost simultaneously in four well established facilities, where we will perfectly complement the offer with our proposition, aimed at whole families,” she added.

Test bed

Nazarewicz underscored that the Warsaw foray was an "important step" in the company’s growth in the central European country. Warsaw is the country’s most populated city and the European Union’s sixth most populated with 1.8 million residents. The Warsaw metropolitan area, which includes surrounding municipalities within the Masovian Voivodeship, has more than 3.2 million people.

"It is in the capital that the brand will make its debut in a format other than a shopping center, in line with our strategy of flexible expansion in new market realities. The Zielony Targówek retail park will allow us to appear as close as possible to customers, and we, for our part, will provide them with comfortable shopping in excellent conditions," she expounded.

Apart from the Warsaw openings, Mr. DIY Poland has also indicated that it will…