Decathlon growing again with experiential Trinity Leeds opening

By

Nigel TAYLOR

Published
Mar 22, 2021

Decathlon is returning to its expansion programme. The French sporting goods retailer is set to open a experiential flagship store at the Landsec-operated Trinity Leeds shopping centre.

The 35,000 square foot, two-floor unit will open later this month in the former BHS store on Boar Lane. The initial focus will be on click & collect, ahead of a full post-lockdown launch in April.

Initial services will include a new Covid-secure initiative ‘Click & Drive’ where customers’ products are brought out to their cars, and also includes a workshop service for the repair of bikes, kayaks and tents.

True to its word, the French company said last October expansion would continue despite the pandemic with five new openings planned in UK cities, including Aberdeen and Leeds. The brand currently has 44 stores in the UK, including one opened in Ealing, West London, earlier last year.

Designed by an in-house team, the Leeds store will include large categorised showrooms featuring Decathlon’s sportswear and equipment, “allowing customers to touch and interact with all products”.

Decathlon Leeds store manager David Baker said: “We’ve already built strong relationships with a number of partners, including Leeds Dock Running and Cycling Club, and Active Leeds. We can’t wait to connect with all the sports enthusiasts in and around Leeds".

He added: “We have spent a lot of time during the pandemic making sure our offer at Trinity is perfectly tailored to the local customer needs, and we’re in no doubt that this young and vibrant city will embrace Decathlon Leeds as the go-to store for all sports-related products and services”.

James Hutchinson, portfolio manager at Landsec, added: “We’ve already seen an incredible response on our social media channels to this exciting new anchor store. Our shoppers are counting down the days until the Decathlon launch, tangible evidence of Landsec’s work at Trinity, bringing the heart of Leeds back to life”.

Decathlon said it saw UK sales increase 10.3% to £227.6 million in its last financial year, helped by a healthy surge in online sales, up 18.2% year-on-year. However, a £4.3 million investment in bricks-and-mortar, e-commerce and warehousing meant the business fell to a £7.5 million pre-tax loss during the period.