Decathlon Company Profile

Decathlon
Decathlon S.A. (French pronunciation: [dekatlɔ]̃ ) is a French sporting goods retailer. With

over 1647 stores in nearly 300 cities in 57 countries and regions (Jan 2020), it is the largest
sporting goods retailer in the world.
The company manages the research, design, production, logistics and distribution of its
products in house; partners with global suppliers; and markets their own brands directly to
consumers in Decathlon-branded big-box stores.
History[edit]
Founded by Michel Leclercq in 1976, Decathlon started with a store in Lille, France.[6] Its
holding company was formerly known as Oxylane.
The company expanded abroad a decade later: to Germany in 1986, Spain in 1992, Italy in
1993, Belgium in 1997, Portugal, the United Kingdom in 1999, Brazil in 2001, China in
2003, India in 2009, Turkey and Czech Republic in 2010, Taiwan in 2012, Hong Kong in
2013, Malaysia and Singapore in 2016, South Africa, Philippines and Indonesia in 2017
in South Korea and Australia in 2018, and Canada in 2019. The company employs more than
87,000 staff from 80 different nationalities.
The retailer stocks a wide range of sporting goods, from tennis rackets to advanced scuba
diving equipment, usually in large, big-box superstores averaging 4,000m 2 in size. Decathlon
Group markets its products under more than 20 brands.[10] Its research and
development facilities are located across France, where the company develops its product
designs, registering up to 40 patents per year.
Locations
Countries with Decathlon stores

Entrance of one of the Kochi stores in Kalamassery.
Entrance of İstanbul store
Entrance of Dalian store
Entrance of Arnhem store
Decathlon, Southside Wandsworth, London
Entrance of Amritsar, Punjab store

As of May 2021, Decathlon operated 1,655 Decathlon stores worldwide in nearly 1,000 cities
and 65 countries.
Online delivery has been introduced in Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria,
Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR,
Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mainland China, Mexico,
Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Philippine, Romania, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey,
United Kingdom, and recently, Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, and parts of Canada
(Ontario & Quebec).
In India, Decathlon products may be purchased directly through their stores, subsequent to
change in India's FDI policy and approval for Decathlon in February 2013.[14] In addition to
this, Decathlon products are also available online through their online resellers.
In late 2016, an online only delivery service was introduced in Tunisia in preparation of the
opening in Tunis of its first store. The first store opened in November 2017 in Tunis City
commercial center in Tunis. A second location opened in April 2018 in the country situated
in La Marsa.
In February 2017, they opened the first store in Bogota, Colombia in the mall Parque La
Colina.
In July 2017, Decathlon entered the Philippine market with a location at Festival Mall in
Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa, and in Tiendesitas, Pasig.[18] In August 2017,
the company announced it would open its first Canadian store in Brossard, Quebec during the
spring of 2018.
In November 2017, Decathlon entered the Indonesia market.
Their first Australian store opened in Tempe, Sydney, NSW, in December 2017. [21] After two
years in the Australian market, the viability of the Australian business is under question after
posting a trading loss of $19,563,819 (Australian dollars) in just 2 years of trading.
In April 2018, the company announced it would open its first store in Kyiv, Ukraine in the
first months of 2019.
In 2019, the company opened stores in Ireland; Vietnam; Bangladesh; Malta; and Serbia. The
company also opened stores in the United States (California). In an earlier attempt to enter
the US market, it acquired the 18 Boston, Massachusetts area locations of MVP Sports
Stores in 1999, rebranded them under the Decathlon brand, and subsequently closed those
stores by 2006.
In November 2020, the first Decathlon store opened in Riga, Latvia.
Decathlon was supposed to open in Mauritius in April 2021 but due to the lockdown, the date
of the grand opening was on the 13th May 2021.
Product brands
Decathlon is vertically integrated, designing and developing its own products and marketing
under its more than 20 brands, with each sport—and often sub-sports and sports groups—
having their own:
 Aptonia - Nutrition and Triathlon
 Artengo - Tennis and Squash
 B'Twin - Cycling
 Caperlan - Fishing
 Domyos - Fitness, Gym, Dance,
 Forclaz - Trekking
 Fouganza - Horse Riding
 FLX - Cricket
 Geologic - Target Sports such as Archery, Darts and Pétanque
 Geonaute - Sports Electronics
 Inesis - Golf
 Inovik - Cross-country skiing
 Itiwit - paddle sports
 Kalenji - Running
 Kimjaly - Yoga
 Kipsta - Team Sports
 KOROK - Field hockey
 Kuikma - Padel (sport)
 Nabaiji - Swimming
 Newfeel - Sport Walking
 Offload - Rugby
 Olaian - Surfing and Boardwalking
 Opfeel - Squash
 Orao - Kiting and Kitesurfing
 Oroks - Ice hockey
 Outshock - Combat Sports
 Oxelo - Rollersports, Skating and Scooters
 Perfly - Badminton
 Quechua - Hiking, Camping
 Rockrider - Mountain Biking
 Sandever - Beach Tennis
 Simond - Mountaineering
 Solognac - Hunting
 Subea - Diving
 Tarmak - Basketball
 Triban - Cycling (Comfort-Oriented)
 Tribord - Sailing
 Urball - Pelota, One-wall handball/Wallball
 Van Rysel - Cycling (Performance/Racing-Oriented)
 Wed'Ze - Skiing and Snowboarding
Brands providing technical support for the products for the company's passion brands:
 Equarea - Clothing designed for the active removal of sweat
 Essensole - Shoe soles and insoles
 Novadry - Waterproof and breathable clothes
 Stratermic - Warm and light clothes
 Strenfit - Light and Robust Synthetic fabrics (non garment)
 Supportiv - Support and compression
Economic review
Its success has greatly contributed to the decline of independent retailers in France, while the
spread of its own brands has caused great difficulties for traditional manufacturers. 2008 was
a record year for the company as the brand Decathlon had beaten all its competitors on three
key points: margin, market share, and highest turnover per square meter of retail space. It is
arguably the third at a global level. A 2008 survey of 774 catchment areas at the request of
the Ministry of Economy and Finance shows that "for sporting goods, Decathlon is dominant
in 92.8% of zones".This dominant position has the effect of marginalizing its commercial
competitors, including independent retailers.
Competition
In 2009, Decathlon's sector rivals, Go Sport [fr] and Sport 2000 [fr], joined forces to set up a
common purchasing centre in Switzerland, intended to "pressurize most of the major
international suppliers", according to François Neukirsh, Managing Director of Go Sport, in
the newspaper Les Échos. Otherwise, the company does not have significant competition due
to their specific target audience in mass-market retail. Intersport is also a major competitor
mainly in European market.
Social standards
Decathlon claims to follow a strict policy when it comes to employee welfare and that all
contractors working with Decathlon follow the Human Responsibility in Production (HRP)
process in all activities. The HRP designates the management system and resources
implemented by Decathlon relative to workplace conditions at production sites and with
suppliers.
Since 2003, Decathlon has adopted a social charter of the Social and Environmental
Responsibility World Forum regarding human rights, health and safety, respect for the
environment, corruption and management and communication.
Decathlon has however declined to disclose the names of their suppliers, and has been under
scrutiny after reports indicate that the company's suppliers in Sri Lanka's free trade zones
violate the country's labor laws.
Decathlon outfits the athlete, be it novice or pro. The company, designs, manufactures, and
sells athletic apparel and equipment for some 70 sports, including cycling, hiking, hunting,
basketball, swimming, running, soccer, and tennis. Its lineup includes roughly 20 private
label brands covering everything from combat sports to skateboarding. The company operates
a global chain of over 1,100 retail stores in around 30 countries. France is its largest market,
followed by Spain. Stores also offer tennis racket stringing, ice skate sharpening, bicycle
tune-ups, and other services. Decathlon was founded in 1976 by Michel Leclercq and is
owned by the Mulliez family, one of the wealthiest in France.

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Decathlon

Decathlon S.A. (French pronunciation: [dekatlɔ]̃ ) is a French sporting goods retailer. With

Countries with Decathlon stores

Entrance of Amritsar, Punjab store

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