Discount retailer Action has commissioned a near-100,000 sqm distribution centre in Onnaing, near Valenciennes, marking the chain’s sixth XXL logistics platform in France. The facility — developed on a turnkey basis by Spanish logistics real-estate specialist Valfondo — is being operated by GXO Logistics under a contract that will see the third-party provider handle picking, replenishment and store dispatch from the new site.
First inbounds were handled in recent weeks by Action’s in-house DC set-up team alongside GXO crews, with initial outbound shipments to stores following shortly afterwards.
A €67 million build for one of France’s largest 2026 deliveries
The project, totalling €67 million in capital expenditure, sits on roughly 82,000 sqm of footprint and ranks among the largest logistics buildings delivered in France over the past twelve months. Construction was led by general contractor GSE and was launched in mid-2024. Local authorities have flagged more than 650 logistics roles on site, before counting administrative staff and drivers tied to the platform.
For Valfondo, the Onnaing site marks the developer’s first delivery in France and extends a relationship with Action that already includes a 58,000 sqm warehouse near Toledo in Spain.
350 stores supplied across France and Belgium
Onnaing is now the third Action platform entrusted to GXO. Kuehne+Nagel handles two other French sites for the retailer, while Geodis runs the most recent addition in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region on the Barjane-developed Aiguilles park. From its northern French base, Onnaing will replenish at least 350 stores stretching into Belgium.
Since opening its first French outlet in 2012 in the Pas-de-Calais department, the Dutch non-food discounter has scaled France into its largest European market. The country crossed the 900-store mark in December and stood at 916 stores at the most recent April update. Pan-European expansion has lifted the network to 20 distribution centres, including a freshly opened first site in Italy.
Sustainability targeted as a flagship feature
The Onnaing facility is targeting BREEAM Outstanding certification — described by Valfondo as a first for a building of this scale in the Hauts-de-France region. A photovoltaic array is planned across more than 35,000 sqm of rooftop and parking canopies, supporting the retailer’s broader push to embed energy generation and lower-carbon construction standards in its logistics estate.
With volumes ramping up through Q2, Onnaing is expected to act as a structural pillar of Action’s continued French expansion, supporting both store openings and growing assortment depth across the network.
