Decathlon plans to expand significantly in Switzerland
The French sporting goods seller Decathlon wants to grow strongly in Switzerland and further increase its staff as planned. The company plans to hire 200 more employees by the end of 2022 and has launched a recruitment campaign to this end.
"Decathlon plans to strengthen its presence throughout Switzerland," said Adrien Lagache, who is responsible for the development of the Swiss market, when asked. Currently, Decathlon operates 24 stores in Switzerland. In order to meet the increasing demand, the logistics site in Onnens has also been expanded with an additional hall, according to a Decathlon statement on Monday.
It is not yet known exactly where new branches are planned. But: "Our level of awareness in Switzerland is still low, especially in the German-speaking part," says Lagache. That's why further development in German-speaking Switzerland is currently a priority.
How the NZZ on Sunday writes, further stores are likely to be planned in the Zurich and Lucerne areas and also in Ticino. In addition, the company will rely on the franchise model in mountain regions and is expected to open its first such store in Valais next winter, the article continues.
Lagache confirms that the franchise model is coming to Switzerland: "We are not limiting ourselves to our own stores, but also opening up other channels such as franchising or B-to-B," he said.
Recruiting via TV and social media
As previously communicated, the company wants to exceed the one-thousand employee mark in the long term. With a campaign running on social networks, the internet and as TV commercials, the aim is to find around 200 new colleagues in all areas - from sales to logistics to IT - for the current workforce of around 850 employees by the end of 2022, the communiqué continues.
According to the statement, it is important that employees can live out their passion for sports. "Depending on the position and skills of our employees, there are different options for working hours in order to optimize their professional and private lives," said Sylvain Pelletier, human resources manager for German-speaking Switzerland.
Decathlon started in Switzerland in 2017 with around 40 employees and in 2018 took over the Athleticum sporting goods chain from Manor owner Maus Frères with around 400 employees. Since then, the company has already more than doubled its headcount to 850 employees. "And we are maintaining this momentum with the planned hiring drive of 200 new employees," Pelletier said. (SDA)
