The next city on its list is Sibiu, market sources say, and the retailer is also preparing for a second store in Bucharest, most likely in the south of the capital city.
Real estate consultants, however, say that Mr. DIY could be facing hurdles in its expansion outside Bucharest, because of the low number of available retail spaces in the rest of the country. The retailer did not provide any comment on the issue.
Mr. DIY, which rents about 1,000 square meters of space in malls and shopping centers, has already signed the lease for the second location in Bucharest. Its business development manager for Romania is Catalin Secareanu, who has experience in retailer expansion in Romania, having previously worked for Pepco Romania as expansion manager for nearly four years and three years as director for Cometex Romania, the development unit of the Altex Group.
In Europe, the Malaysian retailer has a presence in Spain, Poland and Türkiye and the plan is to also enter Bulgaria, market sources say. Its officials did not provide any details about the expansion strategy in Romania.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)