Forget the dogmas of traditional retail: behind every 1 euro label, there is a discreet and powerful empire orchestrating the dance of low prices in France.
The Action group, founded in the Netherlands in 1993, is not a family adventure or a small business pretending to be a champion. The stage here is one of large-scale mastery: the majority of the capital is now held by the British fund 3i. Since its arrival on French soil in 2012, Action has been expanding its influence, surpassing the milestone of a thousand stores across the Hexagon.
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Behind this massive presence, the true identity of the decision-makers remains largely unknown. The strategy is conceived far from our borders, in a central management based in the Netherlands, which oversees the territorial network, favors French peripheries, and keeps the reins firmly. None of the traditional players in the sector impose their codes: Action cultivates its freedom and opens new stores at a frantic pace.
Action: the Dutch saga turned war machine in France
It all starts with Rob Wagemaker, Gérard, and Boris Deen. These three entrepreneurs laid the first stone of a discount brand in 1993 that quickly aimed beyond its home province. Over thirty years, the brand has become a heavyweight in Europe. Today, France stands out as their favorite territory, and the growth is impressive: over 850 stores by 2024, compared to just 653 three years earlier. Each new warehouse opened, most recently in Labastide-Saint-Pierre, densifies the network and strengthens logistics, giving them an advantage over the competition.
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The revenue reaches 14 billion euros that year; growth shows a jump of 20%. More than 18.5 million customers walk through the doors of an Action store every week in Europe. In France, the dynamism is total: 20,000 employees keep the expansion machinery running. To build loyalty, the group offers an enormous assortment: 6,000 references, including 1,500 below the symbolic euro mark. Week after week, the renewal of products becomes its trademark, and purchasing second-hand turns into a regular habit.
Another string to Action’s bow is discretion. Here, there are no grand media plans or excessive in-person training. Even communication remains surprisingly understated. It is impossible to be interested in the brand without wondering who owns Action stores. The question keeps resurfacing, fueled by the carefully orchestrated mystery surrounding the real power within the group.
Ownership: no franchise, no letting go
Flee the images of a local small business owner opening a franchise: this model does not apply at Action. No individuality, no concessions: each point of sale remains a branch of the parent company.
Control rests with the English fund 3i, the sole owner since 2011. From London, the management team sets the tempo: Simon Borrows, at the helm of the fund, outlines the main lines, relayed on the European ground by Bart Raeymaekers. This closed-loop operation provides rare mobility in the sector. In practice, a store can be created, move its walls, or disappear, without consulting a local investor or dealing with franchise partners.
To grasp Action’s logic in the French market, here are quickly the principles that guide the brand:
- No franchise: all points of sale operate under direct management, without intermediaries.
- Capital structure: Action belongs to the investment fund 3i.
- Management: the strategy is led by Simon Borrows (CEO of 3i) and Bart Raeymaekers (operations director).
This tight governance allows Action to maintain control over all subjects: price control, assortment monitoring, logistics flow management, staff training. Nothing ever gets dispersed in the chain. This coherence has become Action’s foundation to impose its rhythm, in France and elsewhere. Thanks to the financial support of 3i, the company does not compromise on what makes it different in the retail landscape.
Convictions behind the discount mechanism
While the brand stands out on shelves, it does not play the card of simple price cuts. Action promotes a value architecture that breaks away from the dusty image of hard discounting. Six thousand items, nearly a quarter under the symbolic euro, with an average price barely exceeding two euros: the promise is clear and attracts crowds every week in search of new products.
The group diversifies its offerings, from DIY to decor, from gardening to toys, from maintenance to textiles, including food. Nine out of ten products have nothing to do with food, and the constant rotation, with 150 new items each week, creates an anticipation effect that retains a predominantly female clientele, mostly over fifty, often more distanced from traditional retail networks.
Action’s perspective does not stop at the price tag. The brand aims for carbon neutrality by 2030, even if the origin of the products sometimes raises eyebrows (more than half come from China, less than 5% are made locally). Staff are trained online. No flashy advertising campaigns. In 2022, Action climbed onto the podium of favorite brands in France and received a score of 7.9/10 in quality-price according to EY-Parthenon. A shift that illustrates the irresistible rise of reinvented discounting.
Under these cold neon lights and labels that defy norms, a completely different idea of commerce is advancing, structured, methodical, and firmly rooted in its time. And at Action, true power is never displayed in the window.