Have you heard about Decathlon Sporting Goods? Are you wondering if Decathlon products are good? Because let’s be honest, they are pretty affordable.
This outdoor industry leader is opening more and more stores across North America and it’s great if you’re an outdoor enthusiast, but don’t like to spend enormous amount of money on gear while still getting great quality.
Let’s dive in to know what is Decathlon and you should get your outdoor gear. In this post, you’ll learn more about Decathlon. We’ll also answer question like:
- What is Decathlon Sporting Goods
- Are Decathlon products good?
- Why is Decathlon so cheap?
What Is Decathlon Sporting Goods?
Decathlon is a French outdoor equipment store that dominates the sports retail industry by offering superior quality gear at a low price. Like their slogan says, “Sport for All. All for Sport” (it doesn’t get much more French than that).
For over 40 years, Decathlon has delivered outdoor products to help people get more active. It has now become the largest sporting good retailer on the planet with over 1,100 stores in over 30 countries.
But, it doesn’t yet have a huge market in North America. Emphasis on the word “yet,” because it’s quickly expanding west.
It now has physical locations in Montreal, Boston, New York, San Francisco, Quebec City and now Calgary. And with the way that they model their business, it’s no wonder why…
They really do appear to be the best option for people who want fitness, sporting, or camping equipment without breaking the bank. It’s kind of like if REI quality and Walmart prices had a baby… and that baby was awesome at everything sports.
That said, we had other reasons for wanting to use Decathlon beyond just being on a budget (although that was a major factor as well).
Why Should You Choose Decathlon Sporting Goods?
We’ve been fan of Decathlon for a few years now. We first started shopping at Decathlon when we lived in France back in 2014. We were international students with really limited budget, but we still wanted to be active.
Decathlon was the perfect place for us to find quality items that a good price.
A few years back, we were over the moon when we heard they were opening in Canada and USA.
There are 3 reasons why we enjoy going to Decathlon sporting store
1.Our Kids Can Play
, we can’t speak for Decathlon US stores, because we’ve never been to one south of the Canadian border. But, in Quebec, Decathlon sets up tons of activities for kids.
They have scooters, skateboards, ping-pong tables, basketball hoops, soccer balls, tether balls, and pretty much any other sporting equipment you can think of.
So while Emilie and I shop around, our boys get to test out different sports gear (within eye-sight, of course) and we get 5 minutes to try out the gear (on really good days, it’s a full 10 minutes of peace).
2. There Are Tons Of Options In All Departments
Decathlon is kind of a jack-of-all trades when it comes to outdoor and fitness equipment. For us, we were interested in more sporty gear, which we’ll cover shortly, but they have tons of options for people who aren’t traveling anywhere.
Decathlon’s fitness gear is perfect for trying out a new sport, getting the kids equipped for soccer season, or building out a home gym on a budget. They’ve got gear for pretty much every sport you can think of.
Decathlon’s campaign gear is also great. We probably won’t be taking a tent or sleeping bags because we need to travel as light as possible. Plus, Canada is going to be difficult to camp in this winter. But we’ve purchased tents, sleeping bags, and other related items in the past and really enjoyed the results.
Finally, they have fun seasonal recreation equipment. There was something kind of like tetherball but with tennis racquets (the ball was on a string on top of a pole) and Noah and Sam played that for a long time before holding up the line.
Basically, if you need some equipment for activities other than TV, they’ve probably got it.
3. We Can Test Gear Without Breaking The Bank
One of my biggest problems with getting into a new activity or buying gear for this trip is I tend to blow the budget. I get really excited at the thought of using all the equipment that I, sometimes, buy gear that isn’t worth what I’ll actually use it for.
Decathlon sports stores are great for having equipment at all levels–beginner, intermediate, and advanced. But even their beginner gear is pretty durable. That means we can buy things like backpacks, hiking shoes, camping tents, or anything else we need without totally blowing our budget.
And that’s exactly what we did. Here are a few items we bought that are perfect for any travel adventure!
Some Of Our Favorite Products From Decathlon
Why Is Decathlon So Cheap?
In order to fulfill their statements of “Sport for All. All for Sport”, Decathlon Sporting Goods had to make sure their products were affordable and accessible to everyone.
- in-house R&D department
- mass market products
- long-term partnerships with the best industrial suppliers
- control in storage, transportation and automation
- limited packaging
- simple decoration in store
- integrated business model means low margins
Are Decathlon Products Good?
Decathlon has led the way towards high-quality, low-cost products. With in-house Decathlon brands like Itiwit, Forclaz and Wed’Ze, they are able to cut prices without compromising on the quality.
In total, Decathlon has more than 20 brands.
Also, depending on the Decathlon brands, you’ll find gear for all levels, meaning that if you are a beginner in a specific sport, you don’t need to purchase the performance-level gear, you can get the high quality entry level items.
Plus, Decathlon Decathlon makes sure they offer good quality product, customer service and work conditions. There’re also working to improve their environmental impact.
Here’s a bit of information about Decathlon sports store’s commitment to sustainability. They are also against child labor as shown in their code of conduct manual.
Final Thoughts: Why You Should Shop At Decathlon?
Decathlon is one of the largest sporting goods retailers in the world. It’s on a mission to make sure sports is available for all by having a unique business model where they take smaller product margin to keep high quality product.
So to answer your question as if Decathlon products are good? The answer is YES! Decathlon offers great quality products at a good price.