Supporting local cooperation

All our Decathlon stores are part of a local environment. Working with civil society in already existing or developing commercial zones, they contribute to the life and growth of the surrounding community. By building communities of sports players, local organisations and users of sports fields, and helping to protect the environment, each and every site, store or warehouse develops a life of its own. Through its promotion of sport, each of them can make a positive impact on local stakeholders: users, residents, institutions, schools and more. They also benefit local economies, jobs and procurement.

2017 Summary

Kipstadium, our branded site for team sport, analysed its regional footprint.

We increased waste collection near our sites and got our users and teammates involved.

We continued to grow, offering new products and interacting with local communities near our locations.

Kipstadium: creating connections to thrive and share experiences through sport

Kipstadium is a Decathlon branded site for team sports. It is located in Tourcoing, France in the Union neighbourhood, where more than 45% of residents under 25 are out of work. The sport facilities and playing fields are on the site of a former brewery, which had once been a powerhouse for the regional economy. Decathlon wanted to make the most of this opportunity by forging ties with local residents and paying to tribute to the history of the community while also revitalising the site and creating a facility that combines economic and social progress.

We initially focused on ties to local organisations, then we created sporting partnerships with other companies and finally with schools. Around 350 students visit the site each week.

In addition to selling sports products, kipstadium is active in many different areas:

La Maison des Sports:

a programme we developed in collaboration with a foundation called Agir contre l’exclusion (fighting exclusion). Participants are encouraged to make the connection with core subjects at school (maths, history, French, etc.) through team sports. These educational sessions are combined with sport training to motivate the participants to work as a team and challenge themselves to achieve personal excellence. Having formed partnerships with companies from the surrounding area, the project aims to help the participants join the workforce through two internships lasting two weeks each.

Kipstacadémie:

in an effort to make sport accessible to all, Kipsta created a football club for children who were unable to join other clubs due to their skill level or disabilities, or who wanted to discover sport for the pleasure of playing the game.

Partnerships with organisations dedicated to working toward the greater good:

FACE, Réseau Etincelle, founding Trait d’Union, etc.

Reaching out to the local community:

working with users, getting residents involved, educating young people, bringing in other companies and participating in the Heritage Days event.

Partnerships with civil society: councils, schools, police authorities, job placement organisations, and so on.

En chiffres

90%

of unemployed youths

that joined the Maison des Sports found jobs

100

young people

who were not accepted into the Union neighbourhood clubs joined Kisptacadémie

4,45

satisfaction score sports users gave for their Kipstadium experience

Committed to protecting the local environment

Initiatives all over the world are being organised to encourage teammates from Decathlon stores to spend time picking up rubbish.

Spain Clean Up Day : This event was created in 2015. Since then, each year thousands of users and teammates come together to pick up rubbish and plant trees in deforested areas.

Over 4,500 people participated in 2017 at 94 different locations all across Spain. More than 32,000 tonnes of waste were collected and 1,000 trees were planted. Decathlon aims to keep this initiative going and take it global. That is why we will be participating in World Clean Up Day on 15 September 2018.

That is why we will be participating in World Clean Up Day on 15 September 2018 : Decathlon & World Clean Up Day

Decathlon soutient le World Clean Up Day

SUBEA DAYS

Meeting with Anne Lagier

Subea Days Leader

What are Subea Days?

Subea is the Decathlon brand for scuba diving. Through our constant interactions with nature, we can clearly see that damage is being done to the environment and the sea floor is becoming increasingly polluted. We wanted to do something collectively that would make a real difference. Each Decathlon store has the chance to hold its own. Subea challenge by asking its teammates, sports users and the entire community to take part and collect as much rubbish as they can.

How do you make this happen?

On the day of, we hand out the nets and form three pick-up teams: one group in scuba gear, one group with snorkels and one team on land. We make sure everyone is safe. We collect rubbish in the morning and in the afternoon the participants get to test our products.
For us, this event is a concrete example of the "Do what I love" motto. It makes me feel like my work has a purpose, it gives my team and me a boost, and it forges a priceless bond with the users of our products.

Focus

« Introducing our users to new sporting activities »

All across the globe, Decathlon puts on events for

sports users.

In Italy, more than 90,000 users took part in just under 10 events throughout the country, giving them an opportunity to learn a new sport or step up their game with tips from the pros. Cardholders can use the loyalty points they earn to book sessions in one of the 1,100 participating clubs. More than 11,600 reservations have been made since May 2017.

How to leverage our values and strengths to target our customers' needs?

Meeting with Jean-Marc Lemière,

Talent incubator for Decathlon

Decathlon decided to open sites that would build relationships in 10 new countries in 2017. How are we integrating into these new regions?

Our ambition has always been, above all, to be a local business in every region and every city where we find ourselves in an effort to make sport accessible to as many people as possible. We have no interest in being a top-down company out to conquer the world. To realise this ambition, we must observe and immerse ourselves in the culture and respect the practices of our local teammates. We bring our values with us, but we have deep roots in the local culture. In every part of the world, our goal is the same: to forge ties with sports users and provide them with the best
equipment. For this to work, we must hire local employees so that they can build genuine, lasting ties.

At a time when omnicommerce and the digital revolution rule everything,
how can a multinational company be a local business?

Our products must be accessible to everyone and advances in digital technology offer an incredible opportunity to deliver these sporting experiences across the globe. We are still responsible for taking note of our users' needs so that we can meet their expectations and offer the products they want. That is the secret to a lasting and mutually beneficial relationship. That is why locals are leading these efforts: they build their own partner networks and develop their own product ranges. That is how we ended up developing ice-fishing kits in Russia and badminton teams in China several years ago!