CRC Thai Watsadu Co, operator of Thai Watsadu construction material and hardware stores, has earmarked 1.5 billion baht to open five new branches this year.
Sa-angtip Amornchat, vice-president for marketing, said the five new Thai Watsadu stores would be in Greater Bangkok, bringing the total to 45.
Each Thai Watsadu store will be built on 15-25 rai, depending on location, and cost 300 million baht.
One new store has already opened on Chaeng Watthana Road.
A second will open soon in Rangsit to respond to demand from mushrooming residential projects in that area.
The other three will open in the second half.
Mrs Sa-angtip said even though people's spending power for construction materials and finishing products had not improved as much as hoped, the rate of new Thai Watsadu openings will remain at last year's level.
"Keeping up on this investment will help Thai Watsadu to access more customers and serve their needs even better," Mrs Sa-angtip said.
President Suthisarn Chirathivat said Thai Watsadu's core target customers were homeowners, homebuilders and contractors as well as retail shops that resold products to end-users.
The brand is now present in 36 provinces, and the company plans to provide its service to customers in all provinces in the near future.
"Thai Watsadu construction material and hardware stores have expanded rapidly," Mr Suthisarn said.
"This is because we're under Central Group, which has good customer-centric experience."
He said with 40 branches opened in only four years, the next step for the company was focusing more on developing its own product brands.
Company brands are Kassa bathroom fittings and home decorative items, Giant Kingkong hardware tools and safety products, Fonte gardening tools and Luzina lighting products.
Mr Suthisarn hopes to boost Thai Watsadu to rank among the top three construction material suppliers in the country.
Mrs Sa-angtip said the company was in the process of overhauling Thai Watsadu's image in Bangkok's Bang Na district, providing a store format that would suit consumer lifestyles in that area.
Thai Watsadu achieved sales of 18 billion baht last year.
The company expects to record 20 billion in sales this year — 68% from from homeowners, 30% from contractors and 2% from resellers.