Decathlon opening first of its kind retail location in Calgary

Western Canada’s first Decathlon is coming to Calgary, and the sporting goods retailer is creating a completely new concept for the store.

The 70,000-square-foot location has announced plans to open its doors in Southcentre Mall this fall, offering an extensive inventory and unique experiential zones for shoppers, along with programming and activities that aim to make the store a community sports hub.

The store will also serve as the distribution centre for fulfillment of online sales for western Canada.

“Our mission is to make the pleasures and benefits of sports accessible to many and we are excited to bring our concept to Western Canada,” said Richard Tremblay, leader for Decathlon in Western Canada.

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The Southcentre Mall Decathlon will be a first-of-its-kind concept for the brand for a number of reasons.

According to a press release from Southcentre, the location will feature an automated warehouse to service e-commerce deliveries, while giving customers access to a wide assortment of Decathlon products that span over 65 sports.

The store will also be home to an experiential and showroom-based shopping journey, providing a unique retail environment. Additionally, the space will boast a cafe, a co-working space, and after-sale service workshops.

A multi-sport area, where activities and classes will be held by local coaches, will round out the location’s offerings and help to create a community atmosphere in the new store.

“We are grateful to the local individuals and families that provided feedback in the design of this new store concept that is being piloted in Calgary,” said Tremblay.

Along with Decathlon, more than 16 stores are planned to open in Southcentre by the end of 2021, creating over 175 permanent jobs. Among the new retail shops will be PetSmart, Winners, Suzy, iLahui and Couch9.

“The great news is that Decathlon is one of a half dozen new stores opening in the coming months, and the latest in a series of new openings throughout the year,” said Jason Bos, General Manager at Southcentre Mall.

“Retailers are attracted to Southcentre because of our reputation as an important, local shopping centre with strong community connections.”