It also works with several local plants which make products for it.
“Most people know Decathlon as a retailer, but we also have IT operations locally that serve 23 countries and we have logistics for Romania, Bulgaria and Greece,” says Jean François Mace, CEO of Decathlon Romania.
Decathlon also has partners that make shoes, textiles, and bicycles for it. It had almost 800,000 bicycles assembled in two partner plants last year, the official added.
Decathlon Romania continues to invest in the country despite the current COVID-19 pandemic. It has two new stores planned in Bucharest and Braila for the second half of the year, Jean François Mace said. It also plans to expand the warehouse in Stefanestii de Sus, Ilfov County, early next year, which has an area of 29,000 square meters and was inaugurated in November 2017.
All Decathlon stores were closed on March 23 due to the lockdown. Even before that, customers had been wary about coming to stores, so the impact on the sales was even worse. However, online sales went up, but cannot offset the decline in sales in physical stores, the Decathlon Romania CEO says.
(English version by Loredana Fratila-Cristescu)