Exactly 30 years ago, Decathlon made its appearance in Italy, opening its first store in Baranzate, just outside Milan. The success was immediate and replicated with the opening of other stores located throughout Italy.Today, Decathlon is present in our country with 146 stores that employ 8.000 people. After 30 years of successes, the first historic store in Baranzate closed its doors in recent days leaving room for a much larger and more functional structure. Last November 15th, the Milano Merlata store was inaugurated inside the new Lifestyle Center Merlata Bloom.
A new big house
Decathlon has always been considered the home of athletes. The new headquarters in Milan Merlata is configured, without any fear of being proven wrong, like a new "big house" where all Lombard sportsmen, and not only them, from today they can find everything they need to satisfy their great desire for sport.
The new store has a surface area of approximately 5.500 m2, 1.000 more than the Baranzate store. The store is spread over two floors in a stand-alone structure within the new Lifestyle Center, ensuring a wider offering with new retail layouts for various sports. All 68 employees of the Baranzate store will work here, to which 15 are added for a total of 83 operators.
Not just sales
Compared to the Baranzate store, inside the new Milan Merlata store more space has been reserved for repair, rental and second-hand purchase services, in order to promote the sharing, reuse and reconditioning of products through a dedicated 150 m2 hubIn addition to bicycles, tennis, paddle tennis, skiing, and snowboarding, there's a wider range of rental options available, including kayaks and SUPs.
Together with the laboratory, the ground floor hosts the entire junior offer, thus renewing the commercial layout: here, over 200 m2 are dedicated to clothing and mobility sectors urbana. On the first floor, Decathlon offers a diversified shopping experience, which covers the sections Mountain, Water, Team Sports, Racket Sports, Fishing, Horse Riding & Hunting.
Mattia Vanerio is the store manager for Milano Merlata. "We are thrilled to announce the opening of the new Milano Merlata store," he said. A significant new chapter in Decathlon's history. In MilanWe employ more than 500 permanent and 100 seasonal workers across 8 stores, and this new space represents a further step forward in the evolution of our strategy, to offer a complete and innovative experience, ensuring a broader and more varied offering. Our vision focuses precisely on innovation and offering a unique experience., which reflects Decathlon's commitment to constantly evolving to better serve our customers: we look forward to welcoming our sports community to our new space, promising an unforgettable experience for all sports fans."
