Shop-in-shops at Asda…
Decathlon currently has 18 stores in Great Britain and managed a 2013 turnover of 93.3 million euro, but wants to expand more through several shop-in-shops in Asda’s largest supermarkets. These will also act as pick-up points for online orders. The very first, some 120 sqm big, will open in Watford’s Asda and will only contain a small section of its product range, although the remainder is obviously available online.
The deal is a win-win for both companies: Decathlon has been looking for additional locations in Great Britain, but free space for stores over 4,500 sqm is hard to find. On the other hand, Asda CEO Andy Clark has always clearly mentioned he would like to collaborate with other retailers to purposefully fill the empty spaces in the largest of his own supermarkets.
… and huge distribution center in Spain
On the other side of Europe, the French giant is investing 50 million euro into the construction of a 39,000 sqm top-notch distribution center in Spain. Located in the Catalan city of Sant Esteve Sesrovires, the company aims to service all Decathlon stores from the French Pyrenees to the South-East of Spain through this distribution center. Up until now, smaller distribution centers in Martorell and Vilafranca had to deal with these stores.
Spain is Decathlon’s second most important market, right after its home territory France. The company, owned by the same family which owns French hypermarket chain Auchan (the Mulliez family), currently has 101 stores in Spain and these represent 25 % of its turnover worldwide (7.4 billion euro in 2013).
