It was expected, but now, the news has become official. Ever since it was announced a few weeks ago that IKEA was planning to open a 2,500 sqm store in the Westfield Mall of Scandinavia, there have been many rumors about it: Among other things, not only if, but when Decathlon will close its last store in Sweden. Now we know the date. July 21 will be, for now, the last day in the history of the world’s largest sports chain in Scandinavia. Decathlon has already closed down it´s e-commerce for Swedish customers.
The press release from Decathlon reads, among other things: “While this was not how we wanted to end this journey due to the passion of our team here in Sweden and the love for this country, the current global economic situation and its impact on our activities in Sweden has unfortunately forced us to make this difficult decision.”
Even for a giant like Decathlon, competition was too great in Sweden. With well-established chains like Stadium, Intersport and Team Sportia, the time in Scandinavia was tough. In its 13 years in the country, Decathlon achieved peak sales of SEK 351 million (€29.9m) in 2021. Its highest loss was in 2018, with SEK -55 million (€-4,5m).
In November 2011, Decathlon opened its first Swedish store, also the chain’s first in Scandinavia. The initial ambition was to establish itself in a handful of cities across Sweden. But the super venture from the world’s largest sports chain failed to materialize. After six years, Decathlon had four stores, all of which were concentrated around the capital.
In the fall of 2023, the French chain closed two of its four stores. According to a Decathlon spokesperson, the reason for the lack of investment and the economic slump was that the chain had misjudged several factors. Firstly, Decathlon’s e-commerce was never a success in Sweden. Secondly, the chain misjudged which segments and products Swedish customers were looking for during the pandemic.
And now, furniture giant IKEA will move into the Mall of Scandinavia and take over Decathlon’s premises at the turn of the year.
