Thailand’s first Decathlon store opens in Bangkok

“We’re opening five stores in Bangkok, whose surface areas range from 1,700m2 to 2,700m2. They’re nicely spread out across the capital, including one right in the centre,” explains Decathlon Thailand boss Frédéric Bichet. These stores will be exclusive retailers of Decathlon’s Passion brands.

Team recruitment based on sporting values
In order to provide the best possible service for Thai customers, we had to attract new employees who weren’t yet familiar with the company. In total, 120 new team members will be joining the latest stores to serve our customers. So we could share our company values with them, they were recruited locally at sports events, at sales and retail workshops and at interviews with directors appointed to run the new stores.

Just like the business itself, these teams have a strong international flavour. Decathlon’s new employees have come from Belgium, China, Romania and even Russia, looking to be part of the company’s next growth phase. One of the new store directors is even a former employee of the Thai production office, where he worked for twenty years. “It’s a great asset being able to benefit from all of these viewpoints and experiences brought to us by such international profiles,” insists Frédéric, “and it’s also important for the countries where these employees hail from. It’s proof that it is possible to successfully run this type of international project at Decathlon.”