(Alliance News) - Die 3i Group PLC released its 2026 forecast on Thursday, announcing that its portfolio company Action plans to open its first store in the U.S. by 2028.
Action, a non-food discounter that operates in 13 European countries and in which 3i first invested in 2011, plans to open at least 400 new stores next year, up from its existing 3,302 stores at the end of 2025.
The company also sees potential for around 4,650 stores in Europe, which would be around 200 more than last year's estimate. In the USA, it plans to open its first store in the south-east of the country in late 2027 or early 2028.
The London-based private equity firm, which invests in companies in Europe and North America, announced that its portfolio company is targeting like-for-like sales growth of between 4% and 5% in 2026. It is also targeting an EBITDA margin of 14.8%, unchanged from 2025.
3i reported at the end of January that Action's like-for-like sales had increased by 4.9% in 2025. In addition, the company generated net sales of €16.0 billion in 2025, an increase of 16% compared to €13.8 billion in 2024.
3i added that Action achieved net sales of €3.7 billion in the first twelve weeks of 2026, a result that is 15% higher than the same period in 2025, according to 3i. Like-for-like sales increased by 4.0% over the same period, with transactions up in all markets, although France lagged behind and customer traffic in stores in Northern Europe was impacted by snow and cold weather.
"Both sales growth and like-for-like sales in the period to the end of the 12th calendar week showed a positive development compared to the fourth quarter of 2025," 3i said of Action.
It also revealed that the company opened 24 new stores in the first three months of 2026, in line with expectations but below 2025 levels due to the staggered approach, with more of a focus on the second quarter, according to 3i.
Measures are being planned to make a further dividend payment in the coming weeks.
3i, which will publish its annual results in May, said that despite the overall robust portfolio performance, the impact of the situation in the Middle East could pose further challenges. The company added that it does not see any negative impact from artificial intelligence in its portfolio.
Shares in 3i fell 5.9% to 2,628.00p each on Thursday morning in London.
By Martin Miraglia, Alliance News reporter
