Sports retailer Decathlon expands India business

Since 2013 Decathlon has expanded its business tenfold in India. The sports brand opened its first cash-and-carry format and wholesale store in 2009 in India. It got approval for single-brand retailing in 2013 and changed its business model from wholesale to retail. Since then, the company has added more than 50 stores. The brand has emphasized on fitness and it has a lower-end price positioning and targets customers who see value-for-money as more important than brand image. In doing so, Decathlon appeals to a wide range of age groups, and more to participants in sporting and outdoor activities, as opposed to consumers buying sportswear as a fashion statement. Decathlon controls almost every part of the operations by selling only private labels, from pricing and design to distribution, and keeps its costs and selling prices low. Decathlon uses a combination of in-house manufacturing and outsourcing to stock its shelves. Apart from cricket merchandise, Decathlon also caters to 70 sporting disciplines.

Over the past few years, India has demonstrated an increasing appetite for non-cricket sports, such as kabaddi, soccer, volleyball, hockey and badminton. The country now hosts professional leagues in most of these sporting disciplines, drawing participants from across the globe.