French sports apparel, accessories, and equipment retailer Decathlon has seen India enter its top 10 global markets. The business plans to continue its brick-and-mortar expansion in the country and expects India to enter its top five international markets in the coming five years.
At a recent Decathlon global event, Steve Dykes, the company’s chief retail and countries officer, declared that India is a high priority market, according to reports. Decathlon hopes to take advantage of this growth in the Indian sportswear market to establish a connection with consumers all throughout the nation.
Decathlon intends to open more stores in India as one strategy for expanding its business. At the ceremony, Dykes stated, “We want a good rhythm of [opening] 10 stores per year,” according to a report. “Due to the convenience factor, we are really accelerating online right now and positioning ourselves digitally.”
In addition to its large format stores, the company intends to develop local stores in major cities. While its experience hubs will be 4,000 square metres in size, these smaller outlets will be between 1,000 and 2,000 square metres in size. Over the next five years, Decathlon plans to expand its e-commerce operations in India and source more than 90 per cent of its inventory locally.
