After a positive experiment in London last year and a more recent one near its head office in Lille, Decathlon is opening a small “Connect Store” with an internet kiosk to access its online store in the center of Munich, says an executive of the company, confirming a report in sport-guide.com. Measuring 200 square meters, it is being opened by the French retail giant in the Stachus Passage under the Karlsplatz, not far from Sport Scheck and Karstadt Sport. A second store with the same concept is to be opened in Stuttgart shortly, says the German SAZ magazine, suggesting that the strategy may be partly dictated by obstacles encountered by Decathlon for the opening of larger stores in Germany. Decathlon officials point out instead that this is part of the company's international omni-channel development strategy.

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