Flipkart has reportedly formed a partnership with Decathlon to sell the French retailer's private labels, in a bid to increase its share in the growing Indian sports retail market. The Indian e-commerce giant is said to have a customer base of over 100 million, which will allow Decathlon to increase the exposure of labels such as Quechua and Domyos beyond its own Indian network of about 50 stores and partner outlets. Rishi Vasudev, the manager in charge of Flipkart Fashion, told Mint that the online retailer opted for a partnership with Decathlon due to its international appeal and the width of its product range. He added that the sports and fitness industry in India is estimated to be worth $1.8 billion, with a share of 7 percent for online sales. Flipkart was described as the market leader in the online sports and fitness wear and equipment category, and Vasudev said that its sales in this business had doubled in the last year. Flipkart already sells brands such as Adidas, Reebok and Puma, and the company is active in the sportswear market through Myntra and Jabong, two online retailers specializing in fashion and leisure wear that were acquired by Flipkart. Decathlon products for about 30 sports should become available on Flipkart before the end of the year. The Indian company established by Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal ten years ago has been expanding into more categories to compete with Amazon India, and building up its private label offering in electronics.

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