Decathlon has announced the winners of its innovation awards for its own private brands, or “marques passion.” The three products that have won the 2019 Decathlon Innovation Awards are the Itiwit Strenfit 500 kayak, the Quechua MH500 cook set and the Domyos Likealocker bag. The award ceremony was held at the Decathlon Village in Bouc-Bel-Air, near Marseille, on June 14. The winners were selected from 18 innovative products, covering a wide range of sports. The retailer had asked its staff and customers globally to vote for their favorite products.
Decathlon's Itiwit brand won for its Strenfit 500, an inflatable kayak that can be carried in a backpack, according to Decathlon. The Quechua MH500 is a compact cooking set for hikers and campers which features 15 elements, for cooking and eating, in a very small volume. Finally, the Domyos Likealocker is a bag designed for fitness fans which also serves as a locker for separating the user's belongings, as it enables separation of clean things from damp clothing.
Decathlon employs around 850 engineers and 300 designers. They enable the retailer to release innovative products via its own brands. The company operates a dedicated facility (Sportslab) near Lille, in northern France, where the prototypes of the new products are 3D-printed. Decathlon launches 2,800 new products on average each year. In 2018 alone, the company developed 3,600 new products.
