2023-04-23 10:41:50
Brossard, a suburb of Montreal. Among the accents of customers at the checkouts of the huge store, French from France competes with that of Quebec. “We’re bringing back a scooter for my little one!” “, launches Mickaël, originally from Angers, a pink three-wheeled racing car in his hands.
This store, crowded on this Saturday morning in April, is the first Decathlon in Canada, opened in 2018. “The choice to start here, in Quebec, was mainly because of the language,” explains Marie-Lou Blais, communications director for Decathlon Canada.
The largest French community in North America (estimated at more than 100,000 people in Montreal) and Quebecers who got to know the brand while traveling abroad were good initial customers. Since then, the chain has not slowed down, with 18 stores opened in five years.
In Canada, expensive sporting goods
“Last year, we were on a 70% increase in turnover here compared to 2021 (against 12% for the group, Ed). We are on our post-pandemic growth trajectory,” enthuses Marie-Lou Blais.
For the professor of management at the University of Quebec in Montreal, Benoit Duguay, the brand has indeed been able to take advantage of the Covid pandemic. “Families who wanted their children to exercise outside discovered Decathlon because they cut prices, in a sports market that is expensive here. »
A logistics employee at Decathlon, Marc believes that these low prices, paradoxically, can also harm the image of the company: “We fight for our reputation, to show that inexpensive products are of good quality. » To establish itself in Canada, the company relies on the size of its stores (more than 3,000 square meters in Brossard) to offer large product testing areas, such as a small arena for scooters, or a golf course. .
Uncompetitive salaries
Crossing the Atlantic, Decathlon had to adapt. “On salaries, we weren’t really competitive, but we improved,” says Mark. Annabelle, a former employee who left the company at the end of last year, believes that is not yet the case. “For a warehouse job, I found a company that paid me $5 more per hour. At Decathlon, I earned 17 Canadian dollars (€11.50), just a little more than the minimum wage. Decathlon needs to adjust! »
The company has room for improvement to continue its conquest of the West. But for now, its Canadian adventure is more promising than that of the United States, where the last physical store closed last year.
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