Decathlon India just quietly became the biggest sports retailer in the

@aspirantai_official

#DecathlonIndia#SportsRetail

Decathlon India just quietly became the biggest sports retailer in the country — not by chasing cricket stars or Bollywood endorsements, but by doing something very un-Indian: ignoring brand vanity.

While Puma, Nike, and Adidas spend crores on Virat and Ranveer, Decathlon built ₹4,133 crore in revenue (FY25) entirely on its own labels; Quechua, Kipsta, Domyos; products most Indians can’t even spell, let alone name-drop. Their secret? They don’t sell dreams. They sell access. A ₹799 cricket bat. A ₹1,499 cycle made in Haryana. A ₹3,999 treadmill assembled in Bhubaneswar. And here’s what’s wild; 70% of what they sell in India is made here. Their goal? 90% by 2030; with sourcing jumping from $480M to $3B. That’s not just business. It’s nation-building disguised as retail. They’re even switching store formats; smaller, city-centre locations, dark stores, reseller networks in tier-3 towns. Why? Because today’s sports buyer doesn’t plan a month ahead. They decide at 5 PM to play badminton at 7. And Decathlon wants to be there. The real genius? “Sports Utsav.” A 2-day event across 125 stores with 650+ activities; turning retail space into playgrounds. No ads. No celebs. Just 200,000+ people showing up to just… play. In a market obsessed with logos, Decathlon is winning by being the anti-brand. No aspiration. Just accessibility. No exclusivity. Just inclusion. And it’s working. By 2030, they want ₹8,000 crore revenue and 175 stores. Not because they’re flashy. But because they’re functional.