Decathlon brings a breath of fresh wind: new branches planned in the country!

Decathlon brings a breath of fresh wind: new branches planned in the country!

Decathlon, the well -known sports dealer, is planning another expansion in Austria and checks possible locations. The company has already opened six branches in Austria since 2018, including three in Vienna and one in Linz, Graz and Klagenfurt. New locations have already been promised, with a spokeswoman for Decathlon mentioned that branches in the west and east of the country are considered. Despite these ambitions, there is currently no concrete negotiations for a new location in Western Austria, including Vorarlberg, where, according to [Vol.at] (https://www.vol.at/fuer-uns-geste-im-westen-in question, Sporthaendler-Decathlon-Ins-Laendle/9432899) is missing.

The company also plans to open two other locations in the near future, with one of the new branches possibly being created in Salzburg or Innsbruck. The decision about the new locations depends heavily on the available area and the location.

growth plans by 2027

Decathlon not only expands its network in Austria, but also in Germany. By 2027, the company plans to invest up to 100 million euros in Germany to open up new locations and to modernize existing branches. The goal is to expand the branch network to a total of 150 locations, with up to 60 new openings planned, such as sazsport.de. Innovative formats such as multisport stores with sales areas between 1,800 and 8,000 square meters as well as smaller shops in highly frequented shopping centers are the focus.

In addition, the new concept line "Decathlon Connect" should offer specialized branches for selected sports. These shops will be between 400 and 800 square meters and will be tailored to local needs. The expansion of the brand aims to increase the range of business in such a way that every consumer in Germany has access to a decathlon showroom within 20 minutes.

market adjustment and competition

In the industry there is also further growth among competitors such as Intersport. This invests in the expansion and modernization of its locations and is planning to open 100 new shops by 2030. Intersport invested over 35 million euros in various areas such as e-commerce and logistics, which should tighten the competitive situation. For the 2023/2024 financial year, over 20 complete conversions, eight areas of the area and 14 new openings can be planned in Intersport.de.

With these strategic plans, both in the case of decathlon and intersing, the sports retail segment will probably continue to grow dynamically in the coming years. It remains to be seen how the market situation in Austria and Germany will develop and what other steps the companies will take to expand their presence.