Decathlon set to open second store in Republic in Limerick

Having welcomed more than 1 million customers through the doors of its flagship Ballymun store since the easing of Covid-19 restrictions last May, Decathlon is now gearing up to grow its business here even further with the opening of a new outlet in Limerick.

Following an 18-month search, Decathlon has signed a 25-year lease with Sigma Retail Partners for premises at the city's Parkway Retail Park.

The French sports retailing giant’s Limerick Sports Hub, which is due to open shortly, will follow the same concept as its Ballymun store, with some 5,000sq m of retail space catering for 70 sports.

The new outlet will also feature 1,500sq m of “sports experience” zones, which will include a climbing wall, a cycling track, an indoor gym, a football pitch, a basketball court and an outdoor area for fitness – all which will be available for use by Decathlon members, customers who sign up with the group, for free.

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The Limerick store will also have what the retailer describes as a “sports community cafe”. There are 400 car spaces offering free parking to customers.

As part of its plan for its Limerick store, Decathlon intends to recruit an additional 60 employees in January 2023 across a range of roles, including store management and team leaders, operations and ecommerce. The company’s Irish headcount is set to reach 240 employees by the end of this year.

Online sales

Ecommerce or online sales are expected to account for 35 per cent of the Limerick store’s sales activity. To this end, Decathlon says it intends to implement measures to ensure its best-selling products are available in Ireland for delivery in less than 48 hours, and for click and collect in less than one hour.

Decathlon’s online operation proved to be a key driver of its sales during the pandemic, accounting for 28 per cent of the €45 million turnover it recorded in 2021. Notwithstanding the impact of Covid-19, the company’s Ballymun outlet was the group’s best performing store opening in its 46-year history. Decathlon has 1,752 stores around the world. It also operates in Belfast.

Since reopening its doors following the third Covid-19 lockdown in May 2021, Decathlon says the Ballymun store has sold 32,000 swim ponchos/changing robes for swimming in adult and kids sizes, 30,000 backpacks, 5,000 folding chairs in the space of four months for camping and garden activities, 12,000 tents in 11 months across a variety of sizes, and 13,000 bicycles.

The Irish store is number one within its worldwide network for the sales of hiking and camping equipment, surfing and stand-up paddle equipment, and road bikes.

Decathlon is also looking for premises or plots to expand its Irish store network in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Dublin.