Since our founding, we have experienced a strong growth journey. Millions of customers shop at Action because they love the Action formula – and our way of doing business, which means we are able to offer good quality and increasingly sustainable products at the lowest prices.

We take a straightforward approach to the way we operate. We sell the same products in all our stores. And because of our size, we can buy these products in large volumes. That allows us to save costs in production and transport. We pass these cost savings on to our customers by lowering our prices wherever possible.

To keep things simple, we use standardised processes. We consistently apply our formula across all our stores. We have one recognisable brand, one store experience and one operating model. We also operate as efficiently as possible – after all, every cent counts. That is why we are very cost conscious, for instance, when it comes to marketing. And our stores are mostly located off the high street where rents are lower.

What is the Action formula?

Our formula is always the same across our stores:

• We sell good quality and increasingly sustainable products at the lowest prices. Two thirds of our products are priced under €2.

• We introduce 150 new products every week. This keeps our offering to customers surprising, up-to-date and relevant – and means we can adapt quickly to changes in customer demand.

We have many suppliers around the world, and we look to build long-term relationships with these suppliers to ensure product quality and availability. Some of our suppliers have been with Action since we started in 1993. Around 44% of our suppliers are based in Europe. In fact, in several countries, we sell products of local origin. We also source products from China, India and other countries in Asia. Currently, we are looking to buy more products from wholesalers and importers closer to our stores to avoid possible supply disruptions and reduce our transport costs and environmental impact. We apply the same strict quality and production standards, irrespective of the source of our products.

Our products include everyday necessities like cleaning or sanitary products, as well as products that make daily life easier or more enjoyable, like picture frames, house paint and grass fertiliser. It is these products that turn a house into a home – and allow people to pursue their hobbies, whether that is cooking, gardening or do-it-yourself.

We sell 6,000 different products across fourteen categories.

Our products continued to win awards in 2024 – a testimony to our focus on quality. Action also won retail category awards in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. In France, we were voted the country’s favourite retailer for the second successive year.

Our products comply with strict quality and safety standards. As part of this, our products are subject to various testing procedures depending on their category and supplier type. In 2024, we introduced a new product safety policy, which sets out provisions for product testing, compliance and ‘continuous quality improvement’. This policy applies to all our suppliers. 

22 of our employees are based in countries where we do not have stores or distribution centres.

To support this growth, we also opened new distribution centres in Italy and Spain. We see future opportunities for growth, too, and plan to open the first Action stores in Switzerland and Romania in 2025.

We have been growing our network of stores since we were founded in 1993. In 2024 alone – in response to increasing customer demand – we added a record number of new stores, including our first store in Portugal.

Research shows that Action stores attract a wide range of people in terms of education, age and income. On a weekly basis, an average of 13.6 million customers use the Action app and visit the Action website.

Source: GfK, June 2024; average of Action markets with national coverage NL, BE, DE, FR, AT, PL & CZ

Action’s strategy is clear and consistent, and will support our continued growth in the years ahead. 

Part of our strategy is our commitment to sustainability. We believe that discount retail and sustainability can go hand in hand. Our Action Sustainability Programme is inspired by the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Thanks to our size, we can make a real difference.

We once again delivered net sales growth in 2024, continuing the trend of recent years and confirming the strength of our financial model. Net sales were €13.8 billion, up by 22% on the previous year. The rise was driven both by our growth and a 10.3% increase in like-for-like sales, which exclude the effect of new store openings. Strong growth in our customer base and an increased demand for everyday necessities boosted the rise in like-for-like sales.