Decathlon Opens Flag- ship Store In Taichung

Taiwan Industry News
Decathlon Opens Flagship Store In Taichung
Text & Photos: Editorial Dept.
▲Taichung Mayor Jason Hu stated his hope
that the company will express its gratitude by
donating back to the community.
F
rench sporting goods giant
Decathlon, the largest sporting goods retailer in Europe with
an annual turnover of over €6 billion, recently opened a new Asia
flagship store in Taiwan’s thirdlargest city of Taichung. Following an incredibly popular two
week trial period, the store held
its grand opening on June 16.
Representatives from over 200
companies, many of whom are
Decathlon’s long-term partners
in the bicycle industry, attended
the opening ceremony. A number
of Taiwan government heavyweights were also in attendance,
including Ministry of Economic
Affairs Vice Minister Francis
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▲Decathlon Taiwan CEO Jean-Francois
Giuslain appreciated the support from Taichung
City Government and praised the efforts of its
employees.
▲According to Decathlon Global VP Peng-Ya
Kang, over 90% of the merchandise sold is from
Decathlon’s own house brands, so prices are
very competitive.
Kuo-Hsin Liang, MoEA Director
General of the Department of Investment Services Yi-Cheh Chiu,
Invest Taiwan Service Center
CEO Tso-Sung Lai, and Taichung
City Mayor Jason Hu.
Big Plans, Big Store
Wi t h m u c h o f E u r o p e
struggling through a debt crisis
and slumping economy, Lillebased Decathlon made the deci-
▲The Decathlon store in Taichung covers 4,000m², and offers 60 different types of sporting goods in
its store.
www.biketaiwan.com
Taiwan Industry News
sion to expand its Asia operations
into Taiwan. After the company
signed a “build, operate, and
transfer” cooperation agreement
with the Taichung City government, the Decathlon flagship
store construction was one of the
largest BOT projects in Taichung.
The building site was originally
a 324-space parking lot, but after
careful re-planning, there are now
more than 600 parking spaces for
cars and motorcycles. The completed store is also impressive,
covering an area of 4,000 m².
The grand opening ceremony was equally large in scale. As
Taichung Mayor Jason Hu said
at the ceremony, “The new Decathlon store has had more than
5000 visitors a day, and has enjoyed brilliant sales performance
during the two-week trial sale.
This shows that Taichung City
residents are keen on sports and
interested in the future of their
own health.”
In addition to his approval
as a Taiwan government representative, MoEA Vice Minister
Kuo-Hsin Liang had a personal
reason for appreciating Decathlon’s decision to invest in a
flagship store in Taichung City.
Following the opening ceremony,
Liang toured the store, and staff
demonstrated the simple badminton court which can be set up
easily in just a few minutes. As
VM Liang is himself an avid badminton player, he took advantage
of the immediate opportunity to
play on site.
Bicycle Products Sourced in
Taiwan
Decathlon sells more than
60 different types of sporting
goods in its stores, from bicycles
www.biketaiwan.com
and skates to sleeping bags and
tents, and over 90% of the merchandise sold is Decathlon’s own
house brands. According to Decathlon global VP Peng-Ya Kang,
“Decathlon sells its own housebranded products in 19 countries
around the world, with exclusive
sales in its 680 retail shops.”
Most of Decathlon’s own
house-brand bike products are
sourced locally in Taiwan. According to the suppliers present
at the grand opening ceremony,
Decathlon has very high standards for its branded equipment,
so OEM manufacturers must aim
for the highest possible quality.
Decathlon’s OEM suppliers are
constantly striving to upgrade production technology and standards,
making for a relationship that is
beneficial for both Decathlon and
its product manufacturers.
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