Watch Out Home Depot & Lowe’s: Here Comes Vevor

Does the home improvement retail business need another player? A new retailer from China is about to find out.

The American DIY/home improvement big box business has been dominated by Home Depot and Lowe’s for decades after they squeezed out most of the country’s regional and local chains. However, a Chinese retailing company is now entering the U.S. market with its first store.

Vevor, founded in Shanghai in 2007 as an eBay seller, began selling on Amazon in the United States in 2013 and has been selling directly online since 2020. But this new store marks its first shot at physical retail.

The 32,000-square-foot store (the average Depot or Lowe’s store is at least three times the size) is scheduled to open Feb. 9 and is using a BOPIS – buy online/pick-up in store – model for its merchandise, which it says will feature home improvement products, tools and gardening supplies.

“As more customers want to see, test and understand tools before buying, this store helps bridge that gap by offering hands-on product experiences while maintaining the accessibility and value customers expect from Vevor,” said Gavin Wu, brand director at Vevor said in an interview. “For us, it’s about being a helpful, reliable presence in the Houston community, giving families and home creators a place to explore tools, ask questions and feel confident about improving their homes.”

Vevor said it picked Houston because of its “large base of homeowners, contractors and small business operators, along with a well-established DIY culture.” It also said it plans on opening additional stores, where and when still to be determined.

Whatever those plans are, it will have its hands full trying to catch up with the two giants in the field: Home Depot has more than 2,300 stores and Lowe’s has over 1,700.

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