Since mid-2018, our Invest Auckland team has worked closely with sporting goods global giant Decathlon – which has more than 1600 large format stores in 57 countries – to help it establish a presence in New Zealand. By mid-2020, Decathlon had launched as a first "test and learn phase” – an initial online sales platform in New Zealand, with a major online platform and range expansion sports by sports planned gradually by the end of 2021.
Decathlon’s purpose is “to make sports accessible to the many". The company is known primarily because its products are affordable and offer excellent value for money, and also its in-store ‘activity stations’ where customers can try up to 80 different sports and equipment such as cycling, kayaking, skating, camping, and basketball.
Decathlon is expected to open an ‘omni-channel concept’, with large flagship stores in Auckland and all around the country, with local employment for up to 500 people. The company has strong social responsibility credentials globally, and is keen to establish a Decathlon Foundation in New Zealand which is anticipated to engage with Māori and Pasifika communities to lift the level of physical activity through sport.
ATEED’s extensive assistance to Decathlon has included providing retail locational data and retail spend data, and introducing the company to key suppliers such as architects. Our investment specialist has worked with Decathlon’s head office location and new store set up team, providing strategic advice and support, and will continue to work with the company as it expands into Auckland.
Gilles Rech, New Zealand Country Manager says: “It has been great working with a dedicated ATEED investment specialist who took the time to understand our business and our needs, and helped us in so many ways – with excellent advice about everything from the Kiwi business culture, to schools and health care options, and immigration requirements. It made us feel like Auckland was our partner rather than a business location.”