Decathlon ramps up investments in India

Lille (France): French sports retailer Decathlon is accelerating its investments to ramp up production and enhance its retail presence further in India, one of its "most important" global markets, its Global CEO Barbara Martin Coppola has said. Decathlon expects to continue its "high growth rate" from the Indian market, which is also emerging as an important manufacturing hub for the sports retailer, from where it currently exports around 65 per cent of production to global markets, she added.

For Decathlon, India is currently among the top ten global markets, growing "twice the rate" of others, where it entered in 2009 and now operates a network of 129 stores, she said. Coppola said she is "really impressed" with the evolution of the sports culture in India, especially among the middle class, which is gradually getting engaged in different kinds of sports, amid a rise in their income level with the growth of the economy. "We see a real appetite for overall sports consumption, people wanting to try new experiences. And to be honest, there is an energy that is just beautiful to see at the stores... for Decathlon, (India) for sure is one of the major markets," Coppola told inan interaction.

Over investments in India, Coppola said Decathlon has plans to accelerate local production as well as local sourcing and expand its sports retail sales network. "I can not comment on investment but we are accelerating. We are not only accelerating presence in India from a retail perspective but also from the production perspective," she said, adding "India is the most important market for Decathlon. We expect to continue the high growth."

When asked about the outlook and role India could play in Decathlon's global operations, Coppola said it is "a major country" for the French sporting goods retailer. "It's a powerhouse in digital and to be honest, I am inspired by the creativity of the production, the experiences, which makes it interesting for the world," she said, adding "I am very impressed by the know-how, which has been acquired progressively." Manufacturing of bikes is not easy and India is now manufacturing it. It is also manufacturing backpacks, tents to textiles and this range would continue to increase, she added.