Pepco’s rival has arrived: Action opens store in Romania

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 09. 26. 11:20

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A new player has joined the Central and Eastern European discount market: Dutch-based Action has opened its first store in Romania. The chain, which operates with a wide range of non-food products (detergents and cleaning products, cosmetics, toys, home furnishings), debuted in a shopping center in Pitesti, on an area of 840 square meters – writes vg.hu.

The company’s CEO, Hajir Hajji, emphasized at the opening ceremony: Romania is an important milestone in the company’s international expansion, and in the coming months Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Oradea, Arad and Vajdahunyad will also be opened. Romania is the 14th country where the chain is present, its main competitors will be Pepco, Jumbo and Tedi.

Action was founded in the Netherlands in 1993, opening its first store in Enkhuizen. Since 2005, it has been continuously expanding internationally, from Belgium to Switzerland, and currently operates more than 3,000 stores. The company employs 80,000 people, and created 10,500 new jobs in just one year last year, which indicates its rapid growth strategy.

A new player has also appeared on the domestic market: the Dutch Rituals opened its first store in Budapest, in Mammut, in the summer. The chain, which specializes in beauty and hygiene products, could be a direct competitor to Rossmann and dm, and its uniqueness lies in its holistic, mindfulness-focused business philosophy.