Decathlon's story - our key dates

Decathlon's story - our key dates

DECATHLON is a long story about sports, products, and especially, women and men. Read all about it here!

Decathlon's story - our key dates

1976 - Decathlon's birth

An innovative concept imagined by Michel Leclercq

The first store opened in Englos (in Northern France), bringing all the sports under the same roof.

1982 - The DECATHLON jingle is first appears (along with a warehouse)

- The famous “TULULUTUTU” jingle is composed! “TULULUTUTU” and the slogan “SPORT FOR THE MANY!” are still the same to this day!

The 1st warehouse opens in Villeneuve-d’Ascq (Nord, France). The suppliers no longer directly deliver to stores, with DECATHLON handling the logistics.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

Decathlon's first ad is aired on tv.

The hero of our first advertisement: Tarzan.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

1986: A busy year!

Decathlon's first ad is aired on tv.

The creation of “DECATHLON Production” to design and manufacture our DECATHLON signature branded products. The bike frame is one of the first articles manufactured.

Right next to it: visual of the 1st frame of the Challenger bike by DECATHLON.

German store in Dortmund

Decathlon exports itself!

1st Decathlon store opens outside France at Dortmund (Germany).

Decathlon's story - our key dates

Logistics and second-hand

Logistics continues its development in France. An 8,000 sqm warehouse opens in Vitrolle (in Southern France).

We create the TROCATHLON, allowing our customers to buy and sell to each other second-hand equipment.

1987

In France, teammates become company shareholders.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

1988

We create Decathlon's Training Academy for training teams in-house.

1992

DECATHLON designs its first packaging in line with an eco-designed approach.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

1993

5,000 TEAMMATES and 100 STORES!

DECATHLON crosses the French Alps and opens in Milan (Italy).

• Shift from 100% manual logistics to mechanised logistics.

Decathlon's story - our key dates
Decathlon's story - our key dates

1994

DECATHLON Campus opens in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, (Northern France).

1996

TRIBORD (water sports) and QUECHUA (mountain sports) see the light of day. These are DECATHLON's first brands.

• We establish an industrial management department to optimise production processes.

• Porte des Alpes store No 121 opens its doors in Lyon (France). It becomes in 2011 our biggest French store with 12,800 sq. m surface area.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

1997

We create DECATHLON SportsLab. Its assignment: analyse the human body's movements to design innovative technical products that are even more comfortable!

• The logistics goes international! 1st warehouse opens outside France, in Martorell (Spain).

• Store No 171 opens in Trans-en-Provence (Var, France). It was the smallest DECATHLON store with an 898 sq. m surface area before being modernised and extended in 2018.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

1999

• Launched B’Twin 5, an excellent balance between an MTB and a city bike. Its slogan: “At ease just as much everywhere as everywhere”.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

Opening of the first Quechua site

A site entirely dedicated to mountain sports. The design team moved to Domancy (Haute-Savoie, France).

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2001

25,000 Teammates and 300 stores!

• Official opening of the first DECATHLON Village, at Bouc-Bel-Air (Bouches-du-Rhône, France).

• New century, new stores. DECATHLON opens in Brazil in Sao Paulo.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2002

• We unveil the “Human Responsibility in Production” charter and conduct first audits of our suppliers.

2003

• 1st store in China opens in Shanghai.

• We set up “winning teammates” survey: an in-house indicator assessing teammates' satisfaction.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2004

• Site in Hendaye opens (Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France), entirely dedicated to water sports.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2005

• DECATHLON faces the cold and opens its first store in Moscow (Russia).

• We establish the DECATHLON Foundation. Teammates create a foundation supporting sports projects helping the inclusion of people in vulnerable situations.

• The first DECATHLON franchise store opens in Guadeloupe (Caribbean).

• New small-format store concept. Nowadays renamed DECATHLON Essentiel, the first store, then called TOBOGGAN, opened in Bron (Rhône, France).


• QUECHUA launches the famous “2 Seconds” pop-up tents, proving to be a success and symbolising DECATHLON's approach to innovation.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

✅ The first prototypes of Quechua's 2 seconds pop-up tents date back to 2004.

2006

• We launched koodza.fr, the forerunner to decathlon.fr (e-commerce website).

• Arrival in store of the first products with an eco-design approach.

• DECATHLON becomes a sustainable development pioneer in retail parks, in France. Store No 450 in Saint-Quentin (Aisne, France), is the first to adopt an environmental approach: rainwater management, the introduction of natural light, etc.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2008

• koodza.fr becomes decathlon.com. Our customers can reserve their items online!

• We establish the environmental leader network in our brands and industrial processes.

• DOMYOS, the brand dedicated to indoor fitness sports, sets its teams up in the Domyos Centre, at Marcq-en-Baroeul, in Northern France (photo).

Decathlon's story - our key dates

• A design centre and store dedicated to shooting, fishing and archery opens in Cestas (Gironde, France).

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2009

• Human Responsibility in Products audits are conducted in-house.

• Inesis Golf Park opens in Marcq-en-Baroeul (Northern France).

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2010

• 45 000 TEAMMATES and 600 STORES!

• We establish the B’Twin Village in Lille (Northern, France), a new cycling park for bike enthusiasts.

We opened a new position dedicated to Human Responsibility in Production.

2011

• In France, decathlon.com and decathlon.fr merge, making it simpler!

• The 1st HQEⓇ (High Quality Environmental standard) store opens in Calais (Pas-de-Calais, France). 

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2012

• DECATHLON experiments with environmental labelling, enabling customers to compare its products' impact.

2013

• DECATHLON's 5 key commitments supporting sustainable development are written.

• We put in place an audit of building structures in Bangladesh.

• We conduct DECATHLON's first company-wide carbon footprint assessment.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2014

• Launch Click & Collect, which becomes our customers preferred delivery option in 2015.

We conduct first generalised on-site water treatment audits at our suppliers.

• The QUECHUA teams move to a unique setting: 10,000 sq. m where designers and sports users can directly exchange with each other. New: the site is designed in line with an environmentally friendly approach.

Decathlon's story - our key dates

2015

• decathlon.fr website achieves 145 million visits.

• The Kiosk Plus is installed in the store. And allows the customer to access 100% of the internet product offer.

• Kexuedadao (China) hosts the 1000th DECATHLON store.

• Kipstadium opens in Tourcoing (Nord, France). Team sports enthusiasts get their playground

2016

• DECATHLON celebrates its 40th birthday! And creates a multitude of new brands better meeting the needs of its sports users.

• Sustainable development integrates the company's strategic vision. 

“2021 : DECATHLON has 103,161 teammates in 1,747 stores around the world!”

TEAMMATES : ROCK SOLID TEAM SPIRIT

TEAMMATES : ROCK SOLID TEAM SPIRIT

Whatever their job, wherever they work, our teammates are part of the same team
PASSION SPORTS & SPORTS PASSION

PASSION SPORTS & SPORTS PASSION

Quechua, Tribord, et tous les autres, ce ne sont pas seulement des marques, ce sont nos sports passion. Pourquoi on parle de sport passion ?
DECATHLON FOUNDATION

DECATHLON FOUNDATION : “SPORT HAS SO MUCH TO GIVE US”

The DECATHLON foundation is to make the pleasure and benefits of sport permanently accessible to children and adults in fragile situations.