Sporting brand Decathlon reveals its new essence, "Move people through the wonders of sport," and the strategy driving the bold aspiration to make innovative and sustainable sports accessible to all. As part of this journey, Decathlon unveils its new branding, featuring a dynamic identity for the long term and a new logo in the form of an "Orbit" - a pathway.
Since its inception in 1976, Decathlon has believed in the power of sports to help communities lead healthier and happier lives, a need more crucial today than ever. At the outset of this journey, Decathlon crafted its North Star manifesto, reflecting its commitment to society and the planet. Guided by the North Star, a new goal was born: Move people through the wonders of sport.
To achieve this goal, Decathlon adopts a bold global strategy, including an upgraded customer experience, a strong commitment to sustainability, and comprehensive modernization of the company. At the heart of the customer experience is today's newly presented rebranding.
Barbara Martin-Coppola, Global CEO of Decathlon, states: "Today, more than ever, the world needs sports. Sports have a unifying power and can contribute to both physical and mental health. At Decathlon, we want to impact people, society, and the planet by propelling people through the wonders of sports. I am proud to work alongside our team members within our North Star framework. It is exciting to see our diverse community coming together to celebrate what makes us unique: enabling everyone to engage in sports on their terms. I am confident that our ambitious strategy, guiding our work, will ensure Decathlon becomes a leading unique sports brand in the industry, and people can rely on it."
The New Brand Identity and Design Language
Decathlon's new brand identity reflects the brand's future aspirations while honoring its roots. Alongside the prominent blue of the logo, a new brand symbol is now added - Orbit - "the pathway" - expressing movement, aspiration for new heights, and circularity, core to Decathlon's sustainable business model.
This is accomplished through a new design language for a simpler, new brand with 9 specialized categories: Quechua (mountains), Tribord (water and wind), Rockrider (mountain biking), Domyos (fitness), Kuikma (racquet sports), Kipsta (team sports), Caperlan (fishing), Btwin (urban mobility and cycling), and Inesis (golf), along with 4 specialist brands: Van Rysel, Simond, Kiprun, and Solognac.
A New Customer Experience in Digital Thinking
Decathlon's digital supply chain has undergone a rethink with state-of-the-art tools and artificial intelligence algorithms to enable more precise forecasting and planning. This has already led to a significant reduction in inventory issues and numerous improvements, including reduced delivery costs, carbon footprint, and lead times.
Furthermore, Decathlon recently launched its 3D shopping app on Apple Vision Pro in the US. In the coming months, over 1,700 stores worldwide will undergo a complete makeover, offering customers intuitive navigation, enhanced product visibility, and physical and digital displays.
The most significant change will occur in the customer experience, both in stores and on digital platforms. Physical changes in stores will begin to be implemented in Israel later this year, starting with the opening of new stores and subsequently for the refurbishment of existing ones.
A Sustainability-Based Business Model
Decathlon aims to be a driving force and has committed to net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. In fact, Decathlon works hand in hand with suppliers and partners to emphasize sustainability throughout its supply chain. In collaboration with suppliers, Decathlon aims to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions in its operations and pave the way for new business models based on product longevity and circularity.
Multi-Domain Sporting Innovation
Every day, over 850 engineers and 400 designers at Decathlon invent, create, design, and test new materials and products. This culture shapes Decathlon's structure, which includes expert teams such as Booster Innovation - local team support, Sports Lab - sports research and human body dynamics, AddLab - 3D printing center, and Advanced Design - sports design and future experiences.
Looking Ahead
Decathlon aims to be an equitable organization. In 2023, Decathlon's management team achieved gender parity for the first time in its history, and the company has committed to an unprecedented goal for 2026, including measuring representation, integration, and belonging, and setting the highest global diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) standards and performance in the industry. In 2023, Decathlon was industry-recognized, ranking 10th in the Retail and Wholesale category of Forbes as the "Best Employer for Women" worldwide.