Decathlon in the test: what about quality and sustainability? - Market check - SWR television

Sport for everyone at reasonable prices - that was Michel Leclercq's business idea. He belongs to the Association Familiale Mulliez, one of the wealthiest family dynasties in France. She rules an entire trading empire, including the retail chain Auchan and the clothing chains Orsay and Pimkie.

1976 the first Decathlon store opens in northern France. First, ten sports are in the program, hence the name "Decathlon" - in German "decathlon".

In 1986 the second branch opened outside of France, in Dortmund. Today, more than 2,100 branches in 57 countries belong to Decathlon, 83 of which are in Germany alone, four more openings are planned for this year. The company's German headquarters are in Plochingen, Swabia.

Check 1: Quality at Decathlon

Can Decathlon products keep up with more expensive branded products in terms of quality? That's what we want to know and we take a close look at tents, hiking boots and bicycles. Read the detailed checks and the results here:

Checking out tents from Decathlon, McKinley and Jack Wolfskin

What are Decathlon bikes good for?

How does Decathlon manage to keep up with the more expensive competition in terms of quality and still be so much cheaper? "The big advantage is that we have everything in our own hands from A to Z, i.e. research and development, design, conception, production, logistics and sales," explains Decathlon Germany boss André Weinert.

Another factor in keeping prices low is the layout of the stores. The charm of warehouses prevails here, and there is no expensive furniture. A look at the price composition shows how efficiently Decathlon manufactures and markets its products:

The costs of marketing are negligible - they are remarkably low for a sporting goods manufacturer.

By nature, discounters in an industry spend little on advertising, explains marketing expert Professor Markus Voeth. They convince with good prices and a wide range of products.

Check 2: Image of Decathlon

90 percent of the Decathlon range are own brands, these products are manufactured by the discounter itself. Almost every sport has its own brand: there are now 85 different own brands.

For consumers, the Decathlon brand is primarily associated with inexpensive goods. As a result, she is not really suitable for showing off, says Markus Voeth. "Decathlon has understood that the customer wants to buy functional, inexpensive sporting goods. But they don't necessarily want to show that they bought them from Decathlon," says Voeth. The many different brands that run under Decathlon would help hide this, the expert says.

Decathlon Germany CEO Weinert contradicts: "Decathlon is the brand and I think that is now known to everyone and pronounceable."

Check 3: Sustainability at Decathlon

Products from all over the world quickly end up in a Decathlon shopping bag. The company has production sites around the world. Textiles in particular are largely produced in so-called low-wage countries such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka or China.

But what are the working conditions like in Decathlon's factories? Nayla Ajaltouni works for the international Clean Clothes Campaign. She complains that labor law is still being massively violated in the industry worldwide. Fair wages, which secure the livelihood of the workers, are not prescribed in many countries. According to Nayla Ajaltouni, many companies do not meet their moral obligation to pay fair wages.

"The business model of big brands like Decathlon, which produce in very large quantities at low costs, is very widespread at the moment," explains the activist. "But the question is: Is it possible to produce with so much cheap labor and still guarantee a responsible supply chain? Our answer is no."

ILO and OECD standards are not binding

When asked what Decathlon is doing specifically to ensure fair working conditions and wages, the answer is:

Such standards are not binding for the companies, but voluntary self-commitments. They are neither independently controlled nor are violations sanctioned.

How badly does Decathlon pollute the environment?

It's not just the working conditions that are often problematic in the textile industry - the environmental impact of waste water and CO2 emissions is also enormous. How does the company deal with this?

Decathlon refers to the brand's internal label "Ecodesign". Garments with this label, for example, use recycled raw materials. However, the customer does not learn more from the labeling of the products. Also, very few items with this label can be found in Decathlon stores.

Sustainable handling of returns

Another point of criticism, especially for online retailers, is the handling of returns: they often end up in the trash. Decathlon follows a different strategy. All returns are first checked and, if necessary, even repaired.