Decathlon has signed a letter of intent to acquire 50% of Sport 2000 France, a move that would give the French sporting goods retailer a long-sought entry point into the country’s ski resort market, according to a report Monday. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Sport 2000 France is owned by the Céraclès Coopérative group, which runs roughly 700 stores nationwide, including 400 under the Sport 2000 name. Decathlon currently operates 325 stores in France, meaning the Céraclès network would more than double the scale of its domestic retail footprint if the full portfolio of chains is factored in. Under the terms of the agreement, Sport 2000 outlets would keep operating independently through a franchise model even after the transaction closes.
The acquisition is aimed at unlocking two markets that have largely eluded Decathlon: ski equipment rental and retail space in resort towns across the French Alps and Pyrenees. Jérémy Angelard, Decathlon’s commercial director for Europe, said the deal gives the company a foothold in mountain retail without having to build a store network from scratch in geographically constrained resort locations. Ski rental has traditionally been dominated by independent operators and specialist chains with long-standing footholds in resort centers, making organic entry costly and slow for a newcomer of Decathlon’s scale.
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The partnership also extends Decathlon’s reach into other chains under the Céraclès umbrella, including Mondovélo, Espace Montagne, Ekosport-Rent, WAS We Are Select, S2 Sneakers Specialist and Urban Soccer. Combined, the network covers cycling, mountain gear, sneaker retail and indoor soccer facilities, broadening Decathlon’s exposure beyond its core big-box format.
The move comes as Decathlon continues to post steady growth. The company closed its last fiscal year with revenue of 16.8 billion euros, up 3.7% from 16.2 billion euros in 2024. Globally, Decathlon now operates more than 1,900 stores across over 80 countries and regions and says it has sold 1.23 billion products across all sales channels to date.
The Sport 2000 tie-up reflects a broader strategic shift by Decathlon toward growth through partnerships and franchise arrangements rather than organic expansion alone, particularly in specialized or geographically limited markets like ski resort towns, where real estate constraints and sharply seasonal demand make standalone store openings harder to justify. The deal is still pending final agreement, and terms including store integration timelines have yet to be finalized.