Decathlon eyes bigger India play with manufacturing, sourcing, and retail expansion

India is emerging as one of Decathlon's most critical markets—not just a retail destination for the French sporting goods retailer, but a global sourcing, manufacturing, and innovation hub.

India now accounts for around 9% of its global sourcing, a share Decathlon Sports India CEO Sankar Chatterjee expects to reach 15% within five years, aided by expanding local manufacturing and the recently concluded India-EU free trade agreement, which awaits ratification.

The push comes as India's sports economy gains momentum, with rising fitness awareness, greater participation in organised sports, government initiatives and premiumisation driving rapid growth in the sports goods market.

Decathlon Sports India Pvt. Ltd reported FY25 revenue of ₹4,182 crore, according to Tracxn, while parent Decathlon reported global revenue of €16.8 billion (roughly ₹1.85 lakh crore) in 2025.  

In an interview with Fortune India, Chatterjee discusses why India is becoming central to the company's global sourcing strategy, the next phase of manufacturing expansion, rising sports participation, premium sports consumption, store expansion plans, and why the company continues to remain focussed on technical sports products despite the growing popularity of athleisure. Edited excerpts:

India has become one of Decathlon's largest growth engines. How important do you expect the market to become over the next five years?

India is already one of the most important countries for Decathlon globally. It is not just a retail market—it is also a major manufacturing base and a significant talent hub.

We have been manufacturing in India for 25 years, with production worth around ₹5,500 crore for both exports and domestic consumption. Over the years, Indian talent has also taken leadership positions across many of the 70-plus countries where Decathlon operates.

Looking ahead, India will become even more significant. Today, around 9% of Decathlon's global sourcing comes from India. If the India-EU free trade agreement progresses favourably, we believe that can increase to around 15% over the next five years.

On the retail side, we are currently around the ₹5,000 crore-mark in India, and we believe we can double the business within five years through multiple channels.

India's organised sports retail market remains underpenetrated compared to global peers. What gives you confidence that sports participation is reaching an inflection point?

The opportunity is already substantial. India's sports market is worth more than €20 billion today, so even the existing organised market is sizeable.

What is changing is participation. Fifteen years ago, only about 5% of Indians actively played sports. Today that number has increased to nearly 12%, which translates to almost 200 million people pursuing an active sporting lifestyle.

Government initiatives, schools encouraging multiple sports, and rising participation in activities such as running, cycling, trekking and mountain sports are all contributing to this shift. These trends make us confident that India will remain one of the world's most important sports retail markets over the coming decade.

A chunk of products sold by Decathlon in India are locally manufactured. What is the next milestone for India as a sourcing and manufacturing hub?

When we began retail operations in India in 2013, only around 30% of products sold locally were made in India. Today that has increased to 68%.

This is no longer limited to apparel. Nearly 98% of bicycles sold by Decathlon in India are manufactured locally. We are also producing products across plastics, metals, and composites, and have started exporting gym equipment manufactured in India.

By 2030, we believe more than 80% of products sold in India could be locally manufactured even as the business doubles. Apart from strengthening local industry, this also helps manage currency risks and improves supply-chain efficiency.

After successfully building cricket products in India, which categories could become global growth engines?

We are working towards making India a product development hub for the world.

Cricket has already demonstrated India's capabilities, but we now see opportunities across football, yoga, fitness, racket sports, and outdoor equipment.

One example is our "Kipsta Resist" football, which was designed specifically for Indian conditions where many people play on mud grounds rather than grass. That innovation has performed exceptionally well and shows how products developed for India can address global requirements.

We are also focussing on ultra-low-priced products that deliver high performance while remaining affordable.

What are the biggest shifts you are seeing in Indian consumers?

Our positioning has always remained very clear. We are a multi-sport, affordable and technical sports brand—not a fashion or athleisure brand.

While consumers today are increasingly willing to spend more on premium products, our focus remains on delivering technical sports products that offer performance, functionality and value across every price point.

We see demand across the entire spectrum—from entry-level ₹999 running shoes to premium products priced at ₹16,999. Similarly, bicycles range from beginner models priced at around ₹5,999 to high-end road bikes costing more than ₹1 lakh.

Consumers are becoming more serious about sports, and our role is to help them choose products that match their actual requirements rather than simply selling the most expensive option.

How do you ensure quality across products that span from entry-level to premium price points?

The advantage of our integrated model is that we control everything from research and development to manufacturing and retail.

Our category leaders are sports practitioners themselves, so they understand what customers genuinely need. Product selection is based on continuous consumer feedback and sporting expertise rather than purely commercial considerations.

India currently carries around 5,600 SKUs, while globally Decathlon offers more than 12,000 SKUs. We carefully curate the assortment based on local demand while maintaining consistent technical standards across every price point.

Competition in sports retail is intensifying. How does Decathlon plan to maintain its competitive advantage?

Competition is a positive sign because it reflects the growth of sports participation in India.

Our biggest strengths remain our people and our products. Every sports adviser in our stores is trained to recommend products based on customer needs rather than pushing premium offerings unnecessarily.

Beyond products, our omnichannel reach is another differentiator. We are present in more than 50 cities, deliver to over 21,000 pincodes, operate our own digital channels, partner with leading marketplaces, and have expanded into quick commerce.

Authenticity, technical expertise, and accessibility continue to define our proposition.

Where will Decathlon's next phase of growth in India come from?

Growth will come from multiple channels simultaneously.

We currently operate 136 stores and plan to increase that number to around 200 by 2030. Our direct-to-consumer business already generates more than ₹500 crore, and digital channels will continue expanding rapidly.

Tier II and Tier III cities are emerging as strong growth markets. We have recently opened stores in locations such as Belagavi and Udaipur, and customer response has been encouraging.

Alongside stores, we are strengthening our wholesale partnerships so customers can access Decathlon products even in cities where we do not yet have a physical presence. We believe India's future lies in a truly omnichannel approach rather than relying on a single retail format.