He’s about to open an enormous €13m flagship superstore - his company’s first in Ireland. But Bastien Grandgeorge has an odd message for Decathlon’s potential customers. French sports retail giant Decathlon has been planning this grand entry into the Irish bricks and mortar retail market for years.
"We are here for life," he says. "There is no rush to come this weekend. Come back in one week, come back in two weeks," he said. The 95-strong Dublin team also believes they are completely ready to welcome customers through their doors, despite the nervous economic and societal situation. Decathlon is known as the Ikea of sport and it is therefore mildly ironic that its new Dublin base is located right next-door to the Swedish household goods retailer's outlet in Ballymun.
Ireland will be the 58th country where it has opened a retail presence on the ground, it employs 92,000 people across 1,600 outlets and last year had a turnover of €12.8 billion. It then constructed the largest sports shop in the country - a 4,000 sqm green-certified flagship store complete with free to use outdoor basketball court, 5G soccer pitch, outdoor gym, cycle track and an indoor interactive "Deca Studio" for a variety of sports like yoga for example.
The company said it recognised early on that it needed to provide for those involved in playing GAA sports. The company pledges that basic product prices in Ireland will not be higher than in other parts of the world, but local tax differences mean some prices may appear to be out of kilter to other territories. Although it claims to want to work with other local businesses, there is little doubt that Decathlon’s entry into the Irish market will pose a competitive challenge for established Irish sports retailers like Lifestyle, Elverys and smaller local sports shops.
willgoodbody They've been in Belfast for years!
willgoodbody Sorely needed, one look around will tell you Ireland really is lacking in supply of tracksuits
willgoodbody If you get the Boat to Belfast they have one for the past 10 years
willgoodbody Fantastic news!
willgoodbody It’s been in Belfast for a decade 👍🏼
AideenRiordan
willgoodbody Erm...you do know they have a store in Belfast, that's Belfast, just up the road on the same island!
willgoodbody They have been operating ‘Overseas ‘ in Belfast for years!
willgoodbody They’ve been in Ireland for about 10 years
willgoodbody Wrong, similar to Amazon, fag end of Capitalism, kills retail even further, we should remain localised, democraticaly run and supportive of the existing for jobs, it’s a better living wage that is required. Also, localised in humane production perhaps.
willgoodbody Another warehouse with stuff to buy that we don't need....what time do you open on Mondays?
willgoodbody Tracksooooots.....
willgoodbody mmmmmmm....... Belfast has one....... for years!
willgoodbody Cool a new sports shop in Ireland🇮🇪
willgoodbody I use them in Spain, great one stop sports shop.
willgoodbody Located also in the North of Ireland. Impressive variety of overpriced stock.