Are brick-and-mortar stores and e-commerce complementary or will one take precedence?

We can’t talk about them as different channels any more as they are both critical to retail success today. Although a customer may use various channels, he or she is the same customer. We should acknowledge this, identify their needs and offer the solutions they want when they want them. Consumer patterns indicate that purchases will never become fully digital and tactile shopping will remain in demand.

How does Decathlon tailor its retail experience to each market?

I spent 24 years going from country to country, and every time I arrive somewhere new, my teammates tell me: ‘Forget what you learned or experienced before. Here it is completely different; our customers and their needs are different’. And, you know what, that is true to some extent. I would say 10 to 15 per cent are local adaptations to global concepts. We try to do this in Singapore, too. By collaborating with private and public organisations such as Sport Singapore, we better understand the needs of customers. We also analyse data to stay on top of retail trends and consumer preferences and expectations to keep our product offers and stores attractive.

I know a lot of kids who ran their first bicycle in our stores; we helped them take their first step into a better and healthier life. This is the type of experience we dream to offer to everyone.

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What is the biggest challenge for retailers today?

Employing the right teammates. It is a challenge shared across the industry. It would be impossible for Decathlon to exist without a dedicated team to establish personal relationships with our customers, and to build a lifelong community of sports lovers. Recruiting and training the right ones is only the first step. The real test is employing them to their full potential.

Decathlon, for example, has championed a cashier-less future to empower team members to do what they find most meaningful — fostering relationships with customers. With the integration of the 100 per cent RFID tagged products, Decathlon’s “friend” PAL — from PAL Robotics — can roam the store, ensuring stock accuracy and automating the inventory process on a 24/7 basis. By doing this, team members can do meaningful work as sports enthusiasts assisting and educating fellow enthusiasts rather than being regular “sales assistants”.

Is the company’s employee approach key to its success?

It is possible for everyone to build the career they want. The question is not what job you’d like to have in the future, but what is your professional dream? As leaders, our role is to help you build the path to ensure this happens one day. My dream, 20 years ago, was to become a Country Leader, preferably in Singapore. Yes, it’s true.

With Decathlon’s zig-zag career trajectory, employees are developed holistically. Paths can be vertical, horizontal, straight, or curved. As your life goals change, it may change as well. As a result of allowing our teammates to explore their interests and take ownership of projects, we’ve built an amazing team that positively impacts the business.

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