Decathlon S.A. (French pronunciation: [dekatl??]) is a French sporting goods retailer. They are the largest sporting goods retailer in the world.
Decathlon started with a store in Lille, France in 1976, founded by Michel Leclercq. It started to expand abroad a decade later, to Germany in 1986, Spain in 1992, Italy in 1998, Portugal, the United Kingdom in 1999, China in 2003, India in 2009, Malaysia in 2016 and Southeast Asia in 2012 and South Africa, Philippines in 2017 and Australia in 2018. Today, there are more than 1100 stores in 38 countries. The company employs more than 78,000 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 superstores which are sized at an average of 4,000m². Decathlon Group also owns over 20 brands, with research and development facilities all over France to develop the latest innovative designs, registering up to 40 patents per year. Each brand represents a different sport or group of sports, with a dedicated product development and design team..
Video Decathlon Group
Locations
1000+ stores are located globally, in numerous countries.
Online delivery has been introduced in Belgium, France, Netherlands, Hungary, United Kingdom, Germany, Turkey, India, Japan, Italy, Singapore, Spain, Brazil, Portugal, Romania, Ireland, Mexico, Australia, and recently, Vietnam.
In India, Decathlon products can be bought directly through their stores subsequent to change in India's FDI policy and approval for Decathlon in February 2013. In addition to this, Decathlon products are also available online through their online resellers.
In late 2016, an online only delivery service has been introduced in Tunisia as preparations to open the first store in Tunis have already started. The first store opened in November 2017 in Tunis City commercial center in Tunis. A second store opened on 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. And last July 2017, Decathlon has opened its doors to the Filipino people located at Festival Mall in Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa, Philippines. Their first Australian store has also opened in Tempe, Sydney, NSW, in December 2017.
In August 2017, the company announced it would open its first Canadian store in Brossard, Quebec during the spring of 2018.
In April 2018, the company announced it would open its first Serbian store in Belgrade, Serbia during the spring of 2019.
Maps Decathlon Group
Product ranges
The retailer develops and sells its own brands, which the company characterizes as "passion brands". Each sport or group of sports has a separate brand name:
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 and Sport 2000, 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 has been criticised for violation of social standards and local laws in the factories run by its contractors in Sri Lanka. Workers are forced to work over-long shifts and do not receive any holidays, even though local laws in Sri Lanka require paid holidays. Similarly, in violation of local laws, workers do not receive payment if sick.
Gallery
References
External links
- Media related to Decathlon Group at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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