Discounter Action has ended 2022 with strong financial results. The company grew in the countries in which it operates and its number of stores increased by 280, which is a record level of store openings in a year. In addition, good progress was made in improving the quality and sustainability of its products. This is evident from the Action Update 2022 which was published today.
Action, the fastest-growing non-food discounter in Europe, opens its first store in Slovakia today. The company’s first Slovak store opens in Bratislava and more stores will open in other regions before the end of 2023. Slovakia is the eleventh country where Action operates.
Over the full year in 2022, Action achieved net sales in Europe of €8,9 billion, representing growth of 30% compared to 2021. Identical (‘like for like’) sales growth amounted to 18.1%, partly due to fewer Covid measures being in place than in 2021. The loyalty to Action’s brand and range lay partly at the basis of a higher number of transactions and increased store visit frequency of customers who regularly shop at Action These increased by several percent on an annual basis, especially in the larger countries in which Action has been operating for longer. The number of Action stores in Europe increased by 280 to 2,263.
Action started almost 30 years ago with one small store in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands - and has been on an amazing journey ever since. Action today employs more than 68,000 people in 10 countries - with more than 124 different nationalities. Action is the fastest growing non-food discounter in Europe, offering an ever-changing range of around 6,000 products to more than 12 million customers in over 2,200 stores and another 8 million consumers via the Action.com website – every week.
In the first nine months of 2022, Action achieved sales of €6.1 billion. That is a growth of 27% compared to the first nine months of 2021. The number of stores in Europe is on track for 2022, increasing by 150 to 2,133 stores. This generated jobs for 4,300 employees.
On Friday 23 September, Action CEO Hajir Hajji commissioned a solar roof of almost 13,000 panels at the distribution centre in Zwaagdijk-Oost alongside Edward Stigter, Deputy Minister for the Environment and Climate in the province of Noord-Holland. After the official opening, local and regional businesses attended a meeting on sustainability.
In 2021, Action achieved sales of €6.8 billion. This represents growth of 22.7% compared to 2020. Thanks to 267 new stores, including stores in Italy, and two new distribution centres in Poland and Slovakia, Action approached the 2,000-store milestone, which the chain reached in the first month of 2022. This makes Action the fastest growing non-food discount retailer in Europe. At the same time, Action is making progress with its sustainability programme. By then end of 2024, all stores will be gas free. By 2030, Action expects to reduce absolute emissions from its own operations by 50% compared to 2020. In addition, Action is working on initiatives around the circularity of its products, especially items with the highest sales volume.
Europe’s fastest-growing non-food discounter opens its first Spain store in Girona today. Action successfully surprises customers with a broad, ever-changing assortment and the lowest prices in over 2,000 stores across Europe.
It has been almost 30 years ago since Action started with just one small discount store in Enkhuizen, the Netherlands. And we are very proud to say that on the 17th of January 2022 we opened our 2000th store in Prague!