Decathlon Ireland has begun removing e-scooters from sale in-store and on its Irish website.
The removal includes all e-scooters sold directly by Decathlon and those offered by third-party sellers.
Keyword searches for electric scooters will now direct customers to non-electric models. Automated filters are also in place to prevent new listings.
No stock required local removal, return, or disposal in Ireland as the company does not hold physical stock of e-scooters locally.
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Decathlon said its stock is managed and distributed via a central European logistics hubs for markets where sales remain permitted, while third-party stock is owned and fulfilled directly by independent sellers outside of Ireland.
A spokesperson for Decathlon Ireland said: “As part of our commitment to responsible retailing and compliance with Irish legislation, we have begun removing all e-scooters from sale on our Irish website, including those offered by third-party marketplace sellers.”
New regulations set to come into effect as soon as next month will extend the existing ban on e-scooters for under-16s to under-18s, while making high-visibility jackets and helmets mandatory for users.
Legislation will be brought forward from September to set up a national register of e-scooters, which will be treated as “mechanically propelled vehicles” requiring a licence and registration.
Currently, e-scooters are not allowed to go beyond a speed of 20km/h, but this is widely flouted. Selling e-scooters that are too fast for Irish roads will be banned.
A number of online retailers withdrew sales of e-scooters with a top speed above 20km/h, under pressure from Government.
Amazon and AliExpress have removed e-scooters not in compliance with Irish speed limits from their websites.
Some retailers currently advertise e-scooters exceeding the legal speed limit in Ireland, sometimes with a caveat of an ‘unlocked’ speed available to users and a warning for use exclusively on private property.
The spokesperson said Decathlon “will continue to closely monitor our platform so that any products that may inadvertently appear are removed without delay”.
[ The Irish Times view on e-scooters: comprehensive action requiredOpens in new window ]
There are 1,750 Decathlon stores in 62 countries worldwide.
The flagship Decathlon Dublin store in Ballymun is in the top 15 for company sales in the world.
