French sporting goods retail chain Decathlon is in talks to open its sixth Israeli store in Jerusalem, "Yediot Ahronot" reports. The planned 2,500 square meter store would be in a new project by the Sufrin Group, which recently gained approval from the Jerusalem District Planning and Building Committee, in the Talpiot Industrial Zone at the corner of Pierre Koenig and Tnufa Streets. The Sufrin Group project will include a 21-floor high rise with 16 residential floors, 3 floors of office and 3 floors of commercial space.
The opening of Decathlon's first Israeli store in Rishon Lezion in September 2017, covering 3,100 square meters, made Israel the chain's 34th country. Decathlon, founded in 1976 in the village of Englos near Lille, France, currently has 85,000 employees and 1,388 branches in 42 countries. The chain offers sporting goods in many categories at cheap prices.
The company has since opened a 3,000-square meter store in the BIG Krayot center near Haifa and has leased space for three more stores in the Meier on Rothschild Tower on the corner of Rothschild Boulevard and Allenby Street in Tel Aviv, in Beersheva and in Gazit Globe's (TASE: GZT) G mall in Kfar Saba. Decathlon is also expected to move its headquarters and offices to Kfar Saba.
Decathlon's trademark is its huge stores covering thousands of square meters and its competitive prices. Besides sports shoes and fashions, the especially wide variety of goods sold by the chain includes equipment for every branch of sports, including tennis and sea diving, and food supplements for athletes. Decathlon also has the Toboggan and Decat private brands, which offer products at discount prices.
In contrast to Europe, where Decathlon sells well-known international brands, as of now, Decathlon sells only its private products in Israel.
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on December 26, 2018
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