Why Decathlon is scrapping brands and downsizing stores

Fewer private brands, smaller stores, digitisation, sustainability and franchising: these are some of the strategies in Decathlon‘s new five-year plan. Cost savings are also on the cards.

New wind

Since Barbara Martin Coppola took over as CEO in January last year, a new wind has been blowing at Decathlon. Using her experience at international companies such as Ikea, Google, YouTube and Samsung, Coppola is going for a thorough transformation of the successful retail company. The fact that when she took office, she instituted English as the working language for meetings and internal communication – to the dismay of some (French) employees – is just a detail. A new five-year strategic plan should ensure Decathlon’s future resilience in an increasingly competitive market, French business magazine Challenges reports.