Mr DIY is a household name in Singapore as well as in Malaysia where the budget hardware chain originated from. Mr DIY is tad staple name when it comes to self-DIY stores. It is a one-stop shop that offers a diverse range of hardware and household products at low prices. You might remember the last time we visited Mr DIY both in Singapore as well as their country of origin in Malaysia. Then come MR DIY Plus, their largest store.
As their name suggests, it is a MR DIY equivalent of a megastore. Let’s check out one such store in Malaysia which opened on May 2023, with the flagship store located at MidValley Megamall in Kuala Lumpur which is the store we are checking out today.
Mr DIY plus, is a relatively new latest retail concept from the chain. It came from the largest home improvement retailer in Malaysia. Mr DIY plus is more than just a store. It is a one-stop shopping destination for low-duty hardware needs that provides a comfortable, spacious, and enjoyable experience for customers of all ages and backgrounds.
History of Mr DIY
Going into memory lane, Mr DIY plus is the latest retail offering from the Mr DIY chain. It started as a small hardware store in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, Kuala Lumpur, in July 2005. Then, the store chain co-founder, Tan Yu Yeh, saw an opportunity to provide for the people quality products at affordable prices to the Malaysian market. Hence, a large selection of cheap products had been quite the staple and mainstay offerings of MR DIY stores in Malaysia.
Additionally, the founder named the store Mr DIY, which stands for “Do It Yourself”. It is to encourage their customers to embark on their own self-fix journey on top of being creative and resourceful. The store saw a massive expansion in Malaysia, pushing their renowned “cheap and food” products, good enough for typical household low-duty work to the masses.
It is not long when Mr DIY soon expanded to other locations and regions, offering more than 20,000 products across nine categories. Today, Mr DIY has over 950 stores across Malaysia, and is the country’s market leader in the home improvement industry.
A massive store entrance
This ethos is reflected in this megastore. Greeting you at the entrance of the mall at the top floors is a massive opening of an entrance. Two storeys large to begin with. The entrance does look more like a Megaplex than a Megashop.
Also, the store occupies two floors and covers 30,000 square feet. It showcases approximately 20,000 types of products across five major categories. This includes hardware, household and furnishing, electrical, stationery and sports equipment. Their store staples includes toys, car accessories, household plastics and low-duty hardware. This is on top of new sections encompassing jewellery, cosmetics, food and beverage items, as well as health and personal care items.
Furthermore, Mr DIY also ventured into other retail segments, such as toys and fixed price products. This can be seen in the various assorted shelves hawking lifestyle products beside their staple hardware items.
A supermarket in the hardware store?
One of the highlights of Mr DIY plus is their new supermarket section. The store offers a curated selection of local-favourite foods and beverage items, such as snacks, drinks, instant noodles, sauces, spices, canned food, frozen food, dairy products. Here, you can find shelves lined with snacks, Asian condiments and even chilled foods too. It is tad like a Giant supermarket, less the fresh vegetable and seafood sections.
Taking a walk through the MR DIY plus reflects this very same ethos of offering budget goods of acceptable quality. The ground floor is home to the outlet’s supermarket and foods section. It is tad unreal to see MR DIY more like a supermarket now. Unlike a hardware store, your can find with rows of food chillers and shelves of food lining long rows of the shop grounds here.
Also, wrapping up the supermarket section are health and personal care items, such as shampoo, soap, toothpaste, sanitary pads, diapers, vitamins, supplements. These products are reasonably-priced.
These items do seem rather out of place in a Mr DIY store, albeit one more suited for a full-fledged supermarket in the likes of offerings by Giant hypermart, a mainstay brand in Malaysia too or Fairprice supermarkets in Singapore for instance.
Hardware and Toys on second floor
Going up to the second floor, an escalator and stair/ramp brings you to the 2nd and top floor of the store. Here, the top floor is also where you can find arts, craft and stationary section, as well as MR DIY staple offerings like plastic ware, bottles and containers.
Their tools section here is quite extensive, but not anything extra catches my eye which is already out of the ordinary from other regular MR DIY low-duty hardware and stationary selections.
Also, the second floor is home to a large section devoted to toys. MR DIY toy selection are usually unbranded china-direct import plastic toys. Also, do not expect to find big brand toys like Hasbro, Mattel or Lego here. Not to say their quality of the toys here are inferior, as some of the toy here are worth their they are priced for. Knock-off Lego, city cars and Nerf guns are some of the selections here. If brand is not your fancy and you do not need want to pay a premium, Mr DIY might have just your needs covered.
Mr DIY plus combines the best of all these brands, offering customers a variety of products at the lowest prices. Mr DIY plus also has a modern and elegant design, with bright display shelves, strategic lighting, and artistic ceiling beams.
Interestingly, a rather gimmicky section is eco-friendly section, where customers can find products that are good for the environment and your wallet. This is mainly a curated section of reusable packaging products made of glass or plastic to discourage paper or single-use plastic waste. Mr DIY plus claims to aim to inspire, educate, and entertain customers with its products and services.
Wrapping up
All in all, that wraps up our explorations of MR DIY. Mr DIY plus is more than just a store. It is a shopping destination that caters to everyone’s needs and wants. Whether you are looking for hardware, household, electrical, stationery, automotive, or DIY supplies, you will find them at Mr DIY plus at the affordable low prices. Whether you are looking for everyday essentials at fixed price, toys, games, and hobbies, you will be surprised by how much you can find here at Mr DIY, now available as a plus-sized addition.
