Brand and business model change: Decathlon. A world-famous French company for the development, production and sale of sportswear, shoes, accessories, equipment and other high quality products with delivery throughout Russia. What is Decathlon Opre

Decathlon(Decathlon) is a French company for the development, production and sale of sports goods, clothing and footwear, founded in 1976.

Decathlon aims to provide beginners, amateurs and professionals with a full range of products for any sport, literally from A to Z, at affordable prices. Only high-quality materials, innovative technologies and durability have made the company recognized throughout the world. For almost 40 years, Decathlon has been helping adults and children lead active and healthy lifestyles. It is no coincidence that Decathlon says: happy people who play sports are our job!

Today, more than 800 Decathlon stores are open in 21 countries around the world.

“We want as many people as possible to want to play sports, and to make the pleasure of sports accessible to everyone,” says Philippe Debray, CEO of Decathlon Russia. The company has been present in Russia since 2006, since then 26 stores have been opened in 14 cities. Decathlon is actively developing and plans to open several more stores in 2015. Moreover, Decathlon Russia unites almost 1,600 employees who are passionate about sports. It is people, according to Philippe Debray, who are the main wealth of the company; they are the ones who make sports accessible to everyone every day.

Today in Decathlon stores you can find more than 15 brand names, including Aptonia, Artengo, B’twin, Domyos, Fouganza, Geologic, GEonaute, Inesis, Kalenji, Kipsta, Oxelo, Quechua, Tribord, Wedze. All of these brands are individual, since Decathlon pays special attention to the specifics of each sports area. It’s hard to imagine, but the network sells special products for 65 sports: ketball, volleyball, handball, golf, wrestling, rock climbing, mountaineering, cycling, windsurfing, sailing, horse riding, figure skating, hiking, fishing and hunting.

Decathlon stores are able to fully satisfy the most diverse needs of professional and amateur athletes. The company produces and sells a wide range of sporting goods: equipment, shoes, clothing and accessories. Prices for goods of the French manufacturer are in two categories - low-price and mid-price. Branded stores have a delivery service, a credit department, a repair shop, a special discount system and other features that make a “personal” visit to Decathlon pleasant and productive.

By bringing all sports under one roof, Decathlon has prioritized accessibility from the very beginning. Firstly, it is an affordable price with a mandatory requirement to improve the quality of goods. Convenient stores, optimal logistics, efficient organization and the desire to reduce costs allow us to regularly reduce prices. Secondly, the availability of the maximum number of goods to the buyer. A wide range is provided by Decathlon's own brands: Quechua, b"Twin, Kipsta, Tribord, etc..., as well as products from international manufacturers. And thirdly, the availability for customers of many services that promote sports: workshops carry out repairs bicycles, offer lubrication of alpine skis, sharpening of skates, applying prints to uniforms, in addition, you can take advantage of a customer card, credit, and a 2-year guarantee on goods.

Material provided by Sybarite Group agency

Decathlon opened its first store in the chain about 25 years ago. In 2000, it was the world's fifth-largest sporting goods retailer, with sales of approximately $2.5 billion, behind Intersport, Wal-Mart, Venator (Foot Locker and Champs) and Sport 2000. Its vision is to represent everything. main sports (about 70) in a single sports hypermarket (area from 5,000 to 10,000 sq. m), which can accommodate up to 35,000 items. Decathlon's mission is to make sport more fun for the general public. To achieve this, the store strives to provide the best selection of products with the best quality/price ratio on the market. To achieve this goal, a discount store with its own brand is needed. It quickly became clear that a store brand is the only way to enter a market that expects an adequate quality/price ratio, and the most famous sports brands cannot provide this, since their price is largely based on intangible values, marketing, and not on the technical values of goods. Little by little, sales of Decathlon branded products increased from 23% in 1987 to 52% in 2000. One of the reasons for this success is that products produced under the Decathlon brand (in 2000, the 14 largest manufacturers of sporting goods in the world) quickly began to be perceived not as the typical cheap goods from a discount store, but as products that offered the best value. value/manufacturability/price on the market. This creates high consumer satisfaction and a desire to buy the brand again. This situation is not surprising: there are about 100 product managers like Decathlon in the world. They are the ones who determine how to create or improve a product. To reduce production costs, Decathlon purchases raw materials, draws up production plans and sources manufacturers - all while taking into account the cost of the target production. In addition to prices, the Decathlon chain offers a huge selection of products and a friendly atmosphere, which is mainly created due to the youth, experience and good service of the sales staff. After-sales service is also excellent: goods can be exchanged without any conditions. In addition to the chain brand, there is a limited range of discounted products, the so-called “best price on equipment”, although there are cheaper products on the market, this range must correspond to the declared category, and, being the cheapest, meet Decathlon standards. Even very cheap products must meet technological requirements. This is how Decathlon differentiates itself from other stores that offer significant discounts on their products. In Europe, Decathlon is Nike's largest customer, accounting for about 20% of the company's sales. Nike, in turn, accounts for only 7% of Decathlon's sales. Decathlon's goal was to increase its network to 500 stores worldwide by 2005. The company is now establishing a foothold in the United States by acquiring a chain of discount stores around Boston, allowing Decathlon to test its concept and process in a competitive US environment. Based on its performance, the company closed all of its stores in poor locations (they were performing poorly) and retained the best ones - this allowed them to test the strength of the brand and business model in the United States. In 2000, however, a red traffic light appeared in Decathlon's path. For the first time since the company was founded, a number of consumers said they would visit Decathlon stores when their next sporting goods purchase became less of an issue. Decathlon, being a company that responds quickly to change, analyzed the reasons for this cooling and concluded that the main reason lies in the feeling of a lack of choice. When a retail chain begins to dominate a country, the single store brand strategy creates a feeling of lack of freedom among consumers, that is, a mass choice: each of them was forced to purchase the same brand as the rest of the customers. To resolve this situation, of course, it was not worth increasing the number of international brands - due to the not very good quality/price ratio. Instead, Decathlon changed the branding model that had allowed the company to grow successfully for 25 years. It was decided to form a portfolio of seven retail brands, which were called “passion brands” to distinguish them from the classic retail brands, which are essentially just a name. Initially, 15 such passionate brands were planned. However, we had to concentrate on seven so as not to violate the provisions of the Decathlon mission. Only a few big brands could create a passion for sports among mass consumers. In addition, if all these brands were presented as exclusively high-end brands, then problems would arise in naming the low-price range. And if the Decathlon name were used only for low-price products, it would jeopardize the capital associated with the name. In exchange, it was decided that each passion brand would produce a product line of environmentally and technologically advanced products at an “entry price.” So, what are the implications for the business and organization as a whole of changing Decathlon's branding model? Firstly, it was planned to introduce a uniform policy in all stores of the chain, even if they are located in different countries of the world. As a result, new Decathlon stores opened in new countries with seven craving brands. Thus, Decathlon offered a new experience, in contrast to the domestic market of these countries, where the maximum degree of synergy was achieved between the name of the store and the brand it sold, which were one and the same. For Decathlon to achieve one of its chosen goals (to reduce the impression of lack of choice and mass production), the brand of passion had to appear independent. The Decathlon name itself was no longer displayed on the products, but was hidden inside, on a label. Secondly, if the new brands wanted to become real brands that evoke emotions and even passions, they needed to become closer to the opinion leaders in each sport, working in close creative contact. And all this had a radical impact on the type of organization created at Decathlon 25 years ago. Until this point, Decathlon had been highly centralized, with its store brand managed from its head office. Now, if the Quechua brand became a leading winter sports brand, it was necessary, for example, to move to the mountains - in this case to the Alps - with the entire staff involved in the brand: marketing department employees, sales managers, designers, etc., so that they, working directly with professionals and amateurs of this sport, they were able to test ideas, concepts and products. The same methodology was applied to Tribord, a marine sports brand, as well as the rest of the craving brands. The head office now managed only cycling products (the store name was retained only for this sport, whose technologically advanced and popular products became highly symbolic of Decathlon's values and positioning). This presented a real challenge to the business model. And Decathlon was not afraid of this!

Decathlon is a world-famous brand of sportswear, footwear and sports equipment. With a wide range of sporting goods at competitive prices, Decathlon makes sport accessible to everyone. Since this manufacturer's products are manufactured in its own factories, the company can keep prices low because you can't compromise when it comes to quality! To date, 47 Decathlon brand stores have been opened in Russia in 19 cities of Russia. The company can deliver orders placed on the official website of the online store to any corner of Russia. Decathlon RU today is a European sports online store in Russian with delivery throughout Russia.

More than 70 sports. In the Decathlon catalog you can find inventory and equipment for more than 70 sports. The manufacturer offers sports products that are ideal for first training and novice athletes. But if you are already actively practicing any sport or are a professional athlete, you will also find a wide range of products that suit you.

Fitness. Almost every person begins to engage in fitness at certain periods of his life. The Domyos brand will help you equip yourself for an effective fitness workout both in the club and at home. In addition to fitness clothing, the catalog includes a wide range of fitness equipment for cardio training, strength training, yoga, Pilates and gymnastics.

Hiking and tourism. In addition to the usual sports, hiking and tourism are also sports and a type of active recreation. At Decathlon, this area is represented by the Quechua brand, which is widely known to customers for its self-folding, quick-assembling 2 Seconds automatic tent. Do you want to enjoy camping immediately after arriving at the camp? Then it's better to buy a Quechua tent! In addition to tents, in the catalog you will find a large selection of hiking equipment: backpacks from 10 to 70 liters, sleeping bags and mattresses.

Bicycles. In addition to team sports, Decathlon is widely known around the world for its B'TWIN bicycles. This brand is popular due to its value for money. In addition to vivid impressions and positive emotions, you receive a lifetime warranty on your bike. Every family member will find something suitable for themselves: a children's bike for the little ones, a sturdy mountain bike for professionals, or an agile city bike. So if you're looking to buy a bike, check out the new collection in the Decathlon online store!

Scooters. In addition to excellent bicycles, Decathlon delights its customers with high-quality and inexpensive scooters for children and adults under the Oxelo brand. Scooters for adults are suitable for riding both short and long city distances. Always be on the move!

Passion for sports. An important difference between Decathlon and other sports stores is the fact that all employees of the company share a passion for sports in general and their own sport in particular. In each department you will find a salesperson who can give detailed consultation and advice on the use of specific products, because the store employees themselves actively practice the sports in which they work.

What is Decathlon? The company was founded in France in 1976 by Michel Leclerc and his team. The initial idea is to respond to the wants and needs of athletes by offering a wide variety of sporting goods in one place. Why are Decathlon's prices low? This company is not only a classic retailer that purchases and resells goods. Decathlon began manufacturing and designing its own products back in the 80s. The founders of the brand wanted to set the price themselves to make sporting goods affordable. Product quality. Safety is the company's priority. All products meet safety requirements and have been tested in real conditions. If customers rate a product less than 2 stars out of 5, then production stops and the product is removed from sale in all countries, even if it is available in large quantities in stores.

Decathlon values. In all countries where the company operates, it is united by a strong corporate culture based on two values: energy and responsibility. Vigor is life, intense activity, energy, vigor, strength. All employees are full of life, as they have a positive attitude and a lot of energy in the first place. These are enthusiasts who value innovation and creativity, and tirelessly strive for progress and development. Responsibility - Being responsible means making decisions and taking action to make them happen. All employees understand the weight of these decisions on the team and customers. This also includes the ability to foresee the tasks and goals that society faces and focus actions towards sustainable development. The company also considers it its responsibility to ensure the safety of customers and employees around the world.

K:Companies founded in 1976

Story

The company traces its history to the opening of a Decathlon store near Lille in 1976. In 1986, the company entered the German market, in 1992 - into the Spanish market, and in 1999 - into the British market. In 1999, it entered the US market by acquiring the MVP Sports chain, which included 20 stores (it was rebranded under the Decathlon USA brand), but in 2006 it announced its exit from the American market and did not conduct operations there in 2010.

Owners and management

The owners of the company are the Mulier family (they also control the Auchan network). President - Mathieu Leclerc ( Mathieu Leclercq), Chief Executive Officer - Michel Aballea ( Michel Aballea) .

Activities in the World

As of December 2015, the company controlled about 1,031 stores worldwide, of which 300 were in France. In addition to Decathlon, stores are opening under the name Koodza. The company's production in 2007 was located in 27 countries (63.6% - Asia, 33.7% - Europe).

As of 2014, the company had 64 thousand employees; as of December 2015, the number of employees worldwide was 70 thousand. Revenue for 2009 amounted to 5.44 billion euros; in 2015, the company's total turnover amounted to 9.1 billion euros.

Activities in Russia

The company's first store in Russia opened in 2006 in Moscow. As of February 2016, there are 40 stores under the Decathlon brand in the country (twelve in Moscow, three each in St. Petersburg and Krasnodar, two each in Kazan and Samara, one each in Volgograd, Voronezh, Yekaterinburg, Perm, Ivanovo, Rostov-on-Don). on Don, Ryazan, Naberezhnye Chelny, Nizhny Novgorod, Saratov, Tver, Ufa, Kostroma, Bryansk, Orenburg, Yaroslavl, Vladimir). Decathlon's interests in Russia are represented by its subsidiary Octoblu LLC (its revenue in 2008 amounted to 1.29 billion rubles, net profit - 49.7 million rubles).

At the moment, the development of the official online store Decathlon.ru continues, in which customers will be able to order products they are interested in with home delivery. The large transport company Hermes Russia assumed delivery obligations at the end of 2015.

It has become known about the possible start of production of shoes for the French company Decathlon under its Quechua brand; production could begin before the end of 2015. These are shoes for outdoor activities and sports, and not for professional sports. Decathlon already has experience in producing goods in the CIS countries. For example, shoe uppers are produced in Ukraine, and skis and ski boots are produced in Yaroslavl.

In March 2016, JLL, a company providing environmental certification services, certified 2 Decathlon stores to the BREEAM environmental standard. As a result of certification, lighting in hypermarkets has become more energy efficient, and a “Building User Guide” has been developed for employees and visitors of retail outlets. It describes the systems of facilities that provide users with a comfortable stay inside. Stores from Tver and Naberezhnye Chelny received certification.

The company is the title sponsor of the Dynamo-Bryansk football team

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Notes

Excerpt describing Decathlon

“I already told you, daddy,” said the son, “that if you don’t want to let me go, I’ll stay.” But I know that I am not fit for anything except military service; “I’m not a diplomat, not an official, I don’t know how to hide what I feel,” he said, still looking with the coquetry of beautiful youth at Sonya and the guest young lady.
The cat, glaring at him with her eyes, seemed every second ready to play and show all her cat nature.
- Well, well, okay! - said the old count, - everything is getting hot. Bonaparte turned everyone’s heads; everyone thinks how he got from lieutenant to emperor. Well, God willing,” he added, not noticing the guest’s mocking smile.
The big ones started talking about Bonaparte. Julie, Karagina’s daughter, turned to young Rostov:
– What a pity that you weren’t at the Arkharovs’ on Thursday. “I was bored without you,” she said, smiling tenderly at him.
The flattered young man with a flirtatious smile of youth moved closer to her and entered into a separate conversation with the smiling Julie, not noticing at all that this involuntary smile of his was cutting the heart of the blushing and feignedly smiling Sonya with a knife of jealousy. “In the middle of the conversation, he looked back at her. Sonya looked at him passionately and embitteredly and, barely holding back the tears in her eyes and a feigned smile on her lips, she stood up and left the room. All Nikolai's animation disappeared. He waited for the first break in the conversation and with an upset face left the room to look for Sonya.
– How the secrets of all these young people are sewn with white thread! - said Anna Mikhailovna, pointing to Nikolai coming out. “Cousinage dangereux voisinage,” she added.
“Yes,” said the countess, after the ray of sunshine that had penetrated into the living room with this young generation had disappeared, and as if answering a question that no one had asked her, but which constantly occupied her. - How much suffering, how much anxiety has been endured in order to now rejoice in them! And now, really, there is more fear than joy. You're still afraid, you're still afraid! This is precisely the age at which there are so many dangers for both girls and boys.
“Everything depends on upbringing,” said the guest.
“Yes, your truth,” continued the Countess. “Until now, thank God, I have been a friend of my children and enjoy their complete trust,” said the countess, repeating the misconception of many parents who believe that their children have no secrets from them. “I know that I will always be the first confidente [confidant] of my daughters, and that Nikolenka, due to her ardent character, if she plays naughty (a boy cannot live without this), then everything is not like these St. Petersburg gentlemen.
“Yes, nice, nice guys,” confirmed the count, who always resolved issues that confused him by finding everything nice. - Come on, I want to become a hussar! Yes, that's what you want, ma chere!
“What a sweet creature your little one is,” said the guest. - Gunpowder!
“Yes, gunpowder,” said the count. - It hit me! And what a voice: even though it’s my daughter, I’ll tell the truth, she will be a singer, Salomoni is different. We hired an Italian to teach her.
- Is not it too early? They say it is harmful for your voice to study at this time.
- Oh, no, it’s so early! - said the count. - How did our mothers get married at twelve thirteen?
- She’s already in love with Boris! What? - said the countess, smiling quietly, looking at Boris’s mother, and, apparently answering the thought that had always occupied her, she continued. - Well, you see, if I had kept her strictly, I would have forbidden her... God knows what they would have done on the sly (the countess meant: they would have kissed), and now I know every word she says. She will come running in the evening and tell me everything. Maybe I'm spoiling her; but, really, this seems to be better. I kept the eldest strictly.
“Yes, I was brought up completely differently,” said the eldest, beautiful Countess Vera, smiling.
But a smile did not grace Vera’s face, as usually happens; on the contrary, her face became unnatural and therefore unpleasant.
The eldest, Vera, was good, she was not stupid, she studied well, she was well brought up, her voice was pleasant, what she said was fair and appropriate; but, strangely, everyone, both the guest and the countess, looked back at her, as if they were surprised why she said this, and felt awkward.
“They always play tricks with older children, they want to do something extraordinary,” said the guest.
- To be honest, ma chere! The Countess was playing tricks with Vera,” said the Count. - Well, oh well! Still, she turned out nice,” he added, winking approvingly at Vera.
The guests got up and left, promising to come for dinner.
- What a manner! They were already sitting, sitting! - said the countess, ushering the guests out.

When Natasha left the living room and ran, she only reached the flower shop. She stopped in this room, listening to the conversation in the living room and waiting for Boris to come out. She was already beginning to get impatient and, stamping her foot, was about to cry because he was not walking now, when she heard the quiet, not fast, decent steps of a young man.
Natasha quickly rushed between the flower pots and hid.
Boris stopped in the middle of the room, looked around, brushed specks from his uniform sleeve with his hand and walked up to the mirror, examining his handsome face. Natasha, having become quiet, looked out from her ambush, waiting for what he would do. He stood in front of the mirror for a while, smiled and went to the exit door. Natasha wanted to call out to him, but then changed her mind. “Let him search,” she told herself. Boris had just left when a flushed Sonya emerged from another door, whispering something angrily through her tears. Natasha restrained herself from her first move to run out to her and remained in her ambush, as if under an invisible cap, looking out for what was happening in the world. She experienced a special new pleasure. Sonya whispered something and looked back at the living room door. Nikolai came out of the door.
- Sonya! What happened to you? Is this possible? - Nikolai said, running up to her.
- Nothing, nothing, leave me! – Sonya began to sob.
- No, I know what.
- Well, you know, that’s great, and go to her.
- Sooo! One word! Is it possible to torture me and yourself like this because of a fantasy? - Nikolai said, taking her hand.
Sonya did not pull his hands away and stopped crying.
Natasha, without moving or breathing, looked out with shining heads from her ambush. "What will happen now"? she thought.
- Sonya! I don't need the whole world! “You alone are everything to me,” Nikolai said. - I'll prove it to you.
“I don’t like it when you talk like that.”
- Well, I won’t, I’m sorry, Sonya! “He pulled her towards him and kissed her.
“Oh, how good!” thought Natasha, and when Sonya and Nikolai left the room, she followed them and called Boris to her.
“Boris, come here,” she said with a significant and cunning look. – I need to tell you one thing. Here, here,” she said and led him into the flower shop to the place between the tubs where she was hidden. Boris, smiling, followed her.
– What is this one thing? - he asked.
She was embarrassed, looked around her and, seeing her doll abandoned on the tub, took it in her hands.
“Kiss the doll,” she said.
Boris looked into her lively face with an attentive, affectionate gaze and did not answer.
- You do not want? Well, come here,” she said and went deeper into the flowers and threw the doll. - Closer, closer! - she whispered. She caught the officer's cuffs with her hands, and solemnity and fear were visible in her reddened face.

Decathlon
Activity	Retail
Year of foundation
Location
Products	clothing, sports equipment, sportswear
Turnover	4,476 Mrd. € (2007)
Number of employees
Web site	www.decathlon.com

Company Decathlon(Decathlon) is engaged in sports retail trade, part of the group Oxylane and belongs to Auchan S.A. At the end of 2007, Decathlon had 405 stores worldwide, more than half of them in France. Has 40 thousand employees, 35 thousand types of goods. It develops 3 types of retail space: 4, 8 and 12 thousand sq. m. The company's production is located in 16 countries (63.6% - Asia, 33.7% - Europe).

Own brands: Artengo (tennis), B’twin (cycling), Quechua (hiking equipment), Tribord (water sports), Fouganza (equestrian sports), etc. Every year, 413 million units of goods are supplied to the chain’s stores. The company's first store in Russia opened in 2006 in Moscow.

Decathlon's turnover in 2007 was 4.476 billion euros (45.4% in France). It has 6 stores in Russia.

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