Decathlon aims for 50 UK stores by 2021
Sports retailer Decathlon has announced plans to have 50 stores in the UK by 2021.
The company opened seven new stores in the UK in 2018. It currently operates in 54 countries and has annual sales of €11.3 billion. It opened its first UK store in 1999.
Decathlon has also invested in a new UK warehouse to service its growing presence in the UK. In 2018, the company opened seven new UK stores and completely redeveloped its store in London’s Surrey Quays. It also recruited 248 new staff.
Due to its ongoing investment in the UK, Decathlon UK has reported a £10.8 million loss before tax for 2018. This is in line with expectations.
Alberto Bottan, chief financial officer at Decathlon UK, said: “While 2018 was a challenging year for the retail sector for a variety of reasons, 2019’s year-on-year performance has been very encouraging. Already we are seeing positive 2019 year-to-date performance with 15.9% total growth, including 27.1% growth in online turnover.
“There has also been encouraging performance across the UK, including a profitable first year for our new concept compact store in High Street Kensington.”
