Sporting goods retailer Decathlon launched an online marketplace dedicated to sports enthusiasts on its website decathlon.ro. More than 10,000 articles from over 50 local partners are currently available on the marketplace platform, and the company aims to increase the figures to over 150 local partners and more than 100,000 articles by the end of 2022.

The new marketplace currently includes several categories of products, such as fitness (treadmills, elliptical bikes), bodybuilding, cycling, electric scooters, and smart devices, but also clothing and footwear for jogging, football, skateboarding, or hiking.

The products sold by Decathlon partners in the marketplace are marked on decathlon.ro as being "Sold and shipped by the Partner." In this marketplace format, decathlon.ro coordinates all transactions and guarantees the security of payments, while invoicing, shipping, delivery and after-sales services are provided by partners.

"The last years have represented an opportunity for the digital environment, and the online sales of decathlon.ro have tripled. We noticed the customers' interest in different sports, and this determined us to complete the existing product offer with the decathlon.ro marketplace," said Ioana Anghel, Marketplace Leader Decathlon Romania.

Decathlon Romania also extended its system of interaction with customers and evaluation of products to the marketplace. Thus, the opinions and evaluations of customers are visible and accessible to all those who are looking for a new sports product.

The project was launched in 2021 in 10 countries, including Belgium, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, and Poland.

Decathlon has been present in the Romanian sports retail market since 2009 and currently owns 28 stores nationwide, plus the online store. It had approximately 1,500 employees in 2021.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Dreamstime.com)