please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page . learn how and when to remove these template messages this article needs additional citations for verification . please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . unsourced material may be challenged and removed . may 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message this article may rely excessively on sources too closely associated with the subject potentially preventing the article from being verifiable and neutral . please help improve it by replacing them with more appropriate citations to reliable independent third party sources . may 2013 learn how and when to remove this template message learn how and when to remove this template message decathlon industry retail founded 1976 headquarters villeneuve d ascq france key people mattia palascino michel leclercq founder and 40 % owner products clothing sportswear sports equipment revenue 10 billion 2015 number of employees 65 000 subsidiaries quechua tribord domyos b twin kipsta nabaiji wed ze simond kalenji newfeel artengo inesis geologic caperlan solognac fouganza oxelo aptonia geonaute orao 1 website www.decathlon.com decathlon is one of the world s largest sporting goods retailers . decathlon started with a store in lille france in 1976 founded by michel leclercq . it started to expand abroad a decade later to germany in 1986 spain in 1992 italy in 1998 portugal the united kingdom in 1999 china in 2003 india in 2009 and southeast asia in 2012 . today there are more than 850 stores 2 in 22 countries . the company employs more than 60 000 staff 3 from 80 different nationalities . the retailer stocks a wide range of sporting goods from tennis rackets to advanced scuba diving equipment usually in large superstores which are sized at an average of 4 000m . 4 decathlon group also owns 20 brands 1 with research and development facilities all over france to develop the latest innovative designs registering up to 40 patents per year . 5 each brand represents a different sport or group of sports with a dedicated product development and design team . contents 1 locations 2 product ranges 3 economic review 4 competition 5 gallery 6 references 7 external links locations edit entrance of i stanbul store entrance of dalian store decathlon southside wandsworth london 1000 stores are located globally in the following countries 6 belgium 26 stores brazil 19 stores bulgaria 4 stores czech republic 11 stores china 169 stores croatia 4 stores france 303 stores germany 33 stores hungary 18 stores india 40 stores italy 108 stores kuwait 1 store malaysia 1 store netherlands 8 stores philippines 1 store poland 45 stores portugal 28 stores romania 17 stores russia 41 stores slovenia 1 store slovakia 3 stores spain 144 stores singapore 2 stores sweden 2 store turkey 19 stores taiwan 8 stores united kingdom 25 stores united states closed 2006 lebanon 1 store united arab emirates 2 store morocco 4 stores thailand 7 stores mexico 1 store colombia opening soon . online delivery has been introduced in belgium france the netherlands united kingdom germany turkey india italy 7 singapore spain brazil portugal romania and more recently ireland . in india decathlon products can be bought directly through their stores subsequent to change in india s fdi policy and approval for decathlon in february 2013 . 8 in addition to this decathlon products are also available online through their online resellers . product ranges edit the retailer develops and sells its own brands . each sport or group of sports has a separate brand name aptonia nutrition and healthcare artengo racket sports b twin cycling caperlan fishing domyos fitness gym yoga dance 9 fouganza horse riding geologic target sports such as archery darts and p tanque geonaute sports electronics inesis golf kalenji running kipsta team sports nabaiji swimming newfeel walking and urban wear orao eyewear and optical accessories outshock martial sports oxelo rollersports skating and scooters quechua hiking camping and outdoor gear simond mountaineering solognac hunting tribord watersports wed ze skiing and snowboarding brands providing technical support for the products of its passion brands equarea clothing designed for the active removal of sweat essensole shoe soles and insoles novadry waterproof and breathable clothes stratermic warm and light clothes strenfit light and robust synthetic fabrics non garment supportiv support and compression economic review edit its success has greatly contributed to the decline of selling prices in france while the innovation of its own brands has caused great difficulties for other traditional manufacturers . 2008 was a record year for the company as the brand decathlon had beaten all its competitors on three key points margin market share and highest turnover per square meter of retail space . it is arguably the third at a global level . a 2008 survey of 774 catchment areas at the request of the ministry of economy and finance shows that for sporting goods decathlon is dominant in 92.8 % of zones . 10 this dominant position has the effect of marginalizing its commercial competitors including independent retailers . 11 competition edit in 2009 decathlon s sector rivals go sport fr and sport 2000 joined forces to set up a common purchasing centre in switzerland intended to pressurize most of the major international suppliers according to fran ois neukirsh managing director of go sport in the newspaper les chos . otherwise the company does not have significant competition due to their specific target audience in mass market retail . gallery edit br tigny sur orge d cathlon decathlon istanbul decathlon southside wandsworth decathlon howrah india interior de l illa diagonal decathlon howrah india ruhrbike marathon decathlon howrah india references edit a b our passion brands . decathlon key figures . decathlon group . decathlon s.a. retrieved 15 may 2015 . decathlon key figures . decathlon group . decathlon s.a. retrieved 15 may 2015 . caruel sarah . decathlon oxylane ox it . international internships . retrieved 15 may 2015 . decathlon innovation and research . decathlon group r & d. decathlon s.a. retrieved 15 may 2015 . decathlon stores worldwide . decathlon group stores . decathlon s.a. decathlon acquista on line tutti gli sport su decathlon.it . retrieved 20 june 2012 . http www.indianexpress.com news fipb okays 4 single brand retail proposals 1073774 . retrieved 14 february 2013 . external link in title help http www.zanzisport.com spip article.php3 id article 694 . retrieved 14 february 2013 . external link in title help distribution l enqu te secr te de lagarde le nouvel observateur no. 2275 june 12 2008 la d ferlante des mdd fa on decathlon d stabilise videmment les marques traditionnelles . gilles tanguy decathlon le colosse qui crase tous ses rivaux capital 3 july 2009 ; cinq cents personnes rassembl es jeudi saint denis seine saint denis l appel de la f d ration textile habillement cuir cgt ont envahi un magasin decathlon pr s du stade de france pour protester contre les plans de licenciements et les d localisations dans le secteur textile a t on appris de sources polici re et syndicale . nouvelobs.com 06.03.2003 . external links edit media related to decathlon group at wikimedia commons official website retrieved from https en.wikipedia.org w index.php title decathlon group & oldid 743673358 categories companies established in 1976retail companies of the united kingdomretail companies of franceclothing companies of francesporting goods manufacturers of francesporting goods retailersvilleneuve d ascqmultinational companies headquartered in francehidden categories cs1 errors external linksuse dmy dates from july 2014articles needing additional references from may 2013all articles needing additional referencesarticles lacking reliable references from may 2013all articles lacking reliable referencesinterlanguage link template link 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