Decathlon is a French sporting goods retailer. With 1,817 stores in 79 countries and regions (2024), it is the largest sporting goods retailer in the world.[3][4]
The company manages the research, design, production, logistics and distribution of its products in-house; partners with global suppliers; and markets its own brands directly to consumers in Decathlon-branded big-box stores. The retailer stocks a wide range of sporting goods, from tennis rackets to advanced scuba diving equipment, usually in large, big-box superstores averaging 4,000 m2 in size.[5] Decathlon Group markets its products under more than 20 brands.[6] The company employs about 101,000 staff (2024).
History
Founded by Michel Leclercq in 1976, Decathlon started with a store in Lille, France.[7] Its holding company was formerly known as Oxylane.[8]
The company expanded abroad to Germany in 1986,[9] Spain in 1992,[9][10] Italy in 1993,[9] Belgium in 1997,[11] Portugal, the United Kingdom in 1999, Brazil in 2001, mainland China in 2003, Russia in 2006,[12] India and Romania in 2009, Turkey[13] and Czech Republic in 2010,
In September 2019, Decathlon reached an agreement with Alltricks, an online retailer of accessories for cyclists and runners.[18][19][20][21]
In 2022 Decathlon closed their retail store presence in the United States.[22][23]
In 2023, Decathlon opened a training centre in Lille.[24] By October 2023, Decathlon had nine training centres in partnership with Afpa Entreprises, an association for the professional training of adults, and three centres of its own on its premises.[24]
In November 2023, Decathlon acquired Bergfreunde, an online specialist retailer for mountain sports, climbing, and outdoor equipment.[25][26] Decathlon is increasing its investments to boost production and expand its retail presence in India, from where it presently exports around 65% of its output to international markets, according to Global CEO Barbara Martin Coppola.[27]
In July 2024, Decathlon reported its investment Recyc'Elit, a start-up specialized in the chemical recycling of polyester textiles and complex PET plastics.[28] This year it was also announced that Decathlon is partnered CNES and Spartan Space to develop an intravehicular spacesuit.[29] In November 2025, Decathlon unveiled its first spacesuit for European astronauts to wear aboard the International Space Station.[30][31]
In April 2025, Decathlon initiated a process to sell a 30% stake of its China business, with its China business being valued at over $1 billion.[32]
Corporate affairs
Product brands
Decathlon is vertically integrated, designing and developing its own products and marketing under its more than 85 brands, with each sport, and often sub-sports and sports groups, having their own. In March 2024, the company launched a simplified brand portfolio consisting of category specialist brands and expert brands.[50][51]
Category specialist brands
- BTwin – Cycling
- Caperlan – Wildlife
- Domyos – Fitness
- Inesis – Golf
- Kipsta – Team sport
- Kuikma –
Sports team ownership
Cycling
In November 2023, Decathlon was announced as the co-title sponsor of the UCI WorldTeam professional cycling team AG2R La Mondiale Team in a five-year deal from 2024 onwards, renaming the team as Decathlon–AG2R La Mondiale Team.
In July 2025, Decathlon announced it has taken full ownership of the team from AG2R La Mondiale that will take effect at the end of the season. With the full ownership, Decathlon aims to be the world top three team by 2028 and will increase the team budget to €40 million.[52][53] Shortly after, Decathlon announced CMA CGM as the team's co-title sponsor in a five-year deal and will race as Decathlon–CMA CGM Team starting 1 January 2026.[54]
Sponsorship
Locations
As of May 2021, Decathlon operated 1,655 Decathlon stores worldwide in nearly 1,000 cities and 65 countries.[41]
Online delivery has been introduced in Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Latvia, Lebanon, Mainland China, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine,
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".[102] This dominant position has the effect of marginalizing its commercial competitors, including independent retailers.[103]
Competition
In 2009, Decathlon's sector rivals, and, 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 its specific target audience in mass-market retail. Intersport is also a major competitor mainly in the European market. Decathlon has changed its name to Nolhtaced for a month in Belgium for promoting reverse shopping.[104]
Controversies
Human rights issues and use of forced labour
Decathlon has been under scrutiny after reports indicate that the company's suppliers in Sri Lanka's free trade zones violate the country's labour laws.[105]
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.[106] Decathlon has, however, declined to disclose the names of its suppliers.
In February 2025, French investigative media outlet Disclose, in collaboration with the France 2 television program Cash Investigation, published an exposé revealing that Decathlon, a prominent French sports retailer, had sourced products from Qingdao Jifa Group—a Chinese textile manufacturer implicated in state-sponsored forced labor programs targeting the Uyghur minority in Xinjiang. The investigation uncovered that Jifa's subsidiary, Xinjiang Xirong Clothing, received government subsidies to "train ethnic minorities," a practice associated with coercive labor transfers. Additionally, a manager at a Jifa facility acknowledged that cotton used in their production could originate from Xinjiang, raising concerns about forced labor in Decathlon's supply chain. [107]