The world’s largest sporting goods retailer, Decathlon, is keeping its US stores active during Covid-19 by turning them into fulfilment centres.
Based in France, the company operate three brick-and-mortar stores in the US in the Bay Area of California. After closing its stores in the wake of the health crisis, Decathlon saw a spike in its e-commerce business as more consumers shopped for sports equipment and apparel for at-home use. Because of this, disruptions in production in China put a strain on warehouse supply, while its stores in the US were filled with unsold merchandise.
“Customers are able to converse with an associate, bring some normalcy back to their lives, maybe ask a question about a product, and drive home with their purchase the same day,” said Ashley Benson, Senior Product Manager, Decathlon USA. “Customers have really been delighted to be able to do this, and like I said, bring some normalcy back into their lives during a kind of scary and uncertain time.”
