Dutch discount chain Action to open first US store by early 2028

Thu, 26th Mar 2026 11:08

* Action to open stores in the United States

* Plans to ⁠invest up to $462 million between 2026 and 2030

* Aims to grow to around 100 stores by the end of 2030

* (Adds quotes from call, paragraphs ‌3-5, 7)

March 26 (Reuters) - Private equity firm 3i Group said on Thursday that discount ⁠retailer Action plans to open its first store ⁠in the southeastern United States by the end of 2027 or in early 2028.

3i Group, which owns the Dutch chain, said Action had completed an in-depth market study of the U.S. that demonstrated clear potential for its ‌discount store format.

In a call during a capital markets presentation, Action's chief executive Hajir Hajji said her company expects to invest 350 million euro to 400 million euro ($405 million to $462 million) between 2026 and 2030 for the expansion and that it plans to start with around twenty stores across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.

Action ‌aims to grow to around 100 stores by the end of 2030, she added.

"We selected these states because this ‌is one of the fastest growing regions. They have diverse population which allow us to test with different customer groups and they also have many medium and large regional towns," Hajji said.

Tackling the world's biggest consumer market is a bold step for Action as the U.S. ‌retail sector is fiercely competitive and past attempts by other European retailers including Tesco and M&S to crack the market have ended in failure.

"We have assessed the lessons learned ⁠and decided ⁠that our organization is now strong and sizable enough ‌to execute an U.S. entry while keeping full focus on our European expansion," Hajji added, referring to European retailers that in the past have entered the market.

3i Group also said Action ‌expects like-for-like sales growth of between 4% and 5% in 2026, broadly similar to the 4.9% growth it recorded in 2025. ($1 = 0.8649 euros)