Flipkart and Decathlon announce partnership

Bengaluru: Online retailer Flipkart and sports goods company Decathlon on Monday announced a strategic partnership to bring the latter's selection of sports equipment, fitness products, clothing, footwear and accessories to Indian shoppers.

These products would be available at the same prices as in the physical stores, only on the Flipkart platform.

"This is a milestone partnership where a sports retail giant like Decathlon has chosen Flipkart as its preferred partner to expand its reach to online Indian shoppers," Flipkart Fashion Head Rishi Vasudev said in a statement here.

"We are confident that with this association will further cement Flipkart's dominance as the most-preferred online destination for every sports and fitness enthusiast," he added.

"The sports and fitness industry in India is estimated to be worth $1.8 billion, while the online penetration in the category is currently pegged at only 7 per cent. Flipkart, already being the market leader in the online sports and fitness wear and equipment category, has witnessed a 100 per cent YoY growth in the category," Vasudev said.

He further said "by now partnering with the world's largest sporting goods company, we look forward to maintaining this growth momentum and our stronghold in this category."

The partnership would also enable Decathlon to market to Flipkart's wider 100 million+ customer base, including tier-2 cities and towns across India, the statement said.

Covering product listings in over 120 product categories (clothing, accessories, fitness equipment, sports goods, sports accessories, outdoor gear and much more) from top brands including Quechua, Domyos, Kipsta, Btwin and Kalenji, Flipkart would offer products across a broad price range, starting INR 99 to 20,000, with serviceability to 10,000 plus PIN codes in India.

"Over 30 sports lines are expected to go live by December this year," it said.