Major investments in new openings and modernizations
Decathlon recently announced its growth plans for the German market. The French sporting goods retailer plans to invest up to 100 million euros in Germany by 2027.
According to the company's press release, this sum is to be invested in both new store openings and the modernization of existing locations. Decathlon is planning to open 60 new stores. Over the next three years, the number of stores in Germany is set to grow to 150.
"Over the next three years, we are really stepping up the pace and launching a wave of expansion," says Arnaud Sauret, CEO Decathlon Germany. According to Sauret, Decathlon wants to become the preferred sports brand in Germany.
New store concepts
According to its press release, Decathlon intends to appeal to customers with different store formats in the future. The retail company has developed new store concepts for this purpose.
The well-known large sales areas will continue to exist in the future. In addition, the company will also operate smaller sales areas in shopping centers and pedestrian zones in city centers.
Stefan Kaiser, Director Real Estate at Decathlon Germany, explains: "We want to be represented in the top 15 pedestrian zones in Germany so that our customers can integrate Decathlon into their everyday lives. Not everyone knows Decathlon today. Our vision is to have a Decathlon touchpoint within 20 minutes of everyone in Germany by 2027 in order to get closer to our customers and increase our brand awareness."
Decathlon will also be expanding its store network to include specialized stores. Under the name Decathlon Connect, customers will find a concentrated range of products specially tailored to selected sports worlds.