Decathlon to expand its store portfolio in the UK, as annual sales increase by 10.3%

French sportswear retailer, Decathlon has announced plans to expand its store portfolio in the UK over the next 12 months after seeing a 10.3% increase in annual sales.

Decathlon which has been trading in the UK since 1999 reported £227.6m in gross sales in the UK in its last financial year, boosted by a strong surge in online sales, which were up 18.2% year-on-year.

The brand's £4.3m investment in stores, e-commerce and warehousing resulted in the business falling to a £7.5m pre-tax loss during the period.

The company said its store expansion will continue throughout 2020 and next year, with five new openings planned in UK cities including Aberdeen and Leeds.

Chief financial officer and property director at Decathlon UK, Alberto Bottan said: “Last year’s results show a trading period where turnover has strongly improved. And even if 2020 remains a very complicated year due to the Covid impact on retail, we are very confident in our ongoing performances and we aim to achieve profitability by the end of the year.”

“There are three elements to highlight looking forward to 2020: first of all we are very proud to have fully preserved employment during this terrible period; secondly we observe a strong acceleration in terms of urban mobility and fitness categories, where we can offer some amazing products to our customers; finally we are increasing our omni-channel capacities through innovative solutions like delivery from store or very fast, local deliveries.”

Decathlon has over 40 stores in the UK, including a new location in Ealing Broadway in West London.

Recently, the sportswear retailer also invested in modernised e-commerce solutions and a new supply chain infrastructure to drive its growing multichannel operations.