From 5000 sq m to 50 sq m, from the green fields to the city centre, from offline to online – that’s “Decathlon Connect”. kplus konzept together with Decathlon, the rapidly expanding French sporting goods manufacturer, have developed a new store which opened in Munich’s Stachus Passagen on the 25th February.
A Seamless & Relevant Brand Experience
To get the brand Decathlon better known in the inner city, the flexible BrandLab “Decathlon Connect” was conceived. This new brand experience idea stems completely from kplus konzept, the store concept, the graphics, the furniture, the media content and the game development.

Total immersion into the Decathlon Universe: The new city store seamlessly links the well-known with the brand new, the online with the offline, and provides maximum flexibility and experience in a minimalistic area. Three designated zones presented in corporate colours give structure to the brand’s space and also provide quick orientation: blue for “Sports Experience”, dark grey the “Retail Zone” and white the “Daily Pick Up Zone”. In the centre stands the Digital World in Decathlon blue. Order Seats with integrated tablets offer instant access to the online shop with its 35,000 products. Even the traditional store can be virtually experienced with by the interactive game Run the Store developed by kplus konzept, and it’s lots of fun.

To create this the kplus team filmed the classical Decathlon store meter by meter, then programmed and staged it into the digital game as realistically as possible. Using the game controller and with the extra-large monitor in view, the customer runs through the store taking in the entire product range. Whilst doing this he collects as many Decathlon Passion Brand Products as possible, and with further training can improve his personal high-score. Additional brand experience is provided by the Action Cube. This invites you to experience authentically the most popular sports disciplines – from snowboarding to dirt biking – by using Decathlon products. kplus konzept set all this, a fast-paced action-cam perspective with matching grooves, into a cinematic scene – just take a few steps up the ladder, poke your head into the mysterious cube, and you’re right in the middle of it.

Goods to touch and feel are in the “Retail Zone”. Effectively staged with a dark grey backdrop and thematically reduced to the highlights: here you will find the best-sellers and new own products developed in the Sports Lab – on average Decathlon registers 40 new patents per year. In a playful way the typical Decathlon grid system is also cleverly incorporated, its flexibility utilising the reduced area where even the ceiling is used for product presentations. Interactive screens provide additional product information and create a further connection to the digital world.

Goods that are ordered through the Internet either in the shop, at home or on the move can be collected in the white “Daily Pick Up Zone”. Its Click & Collect Area is visibly integrated into the design concept. Transparent dummy boxes not only reflect the concept but also function as displays for goods. Clear graphic manuals and oversized letters on the shelves offer the multichannel shopper quick orientation when collecting his order and gives the store operator the advantage of a reduced inventory in a small area. The Daily Pick Upper however needs more: to revitalise him for his trip the sporty city dweller also needs food and emergency equipment. The “Munich Survival Pack” Area (name and range depends on the location) is filled with Decathlon products for everyday requirements, from the umbrella to the power bar.

Get Connected! The claim of the new Decathlon concept brings it to a point: Get the Decathlon brand to its customers, connect the customer with the brand Decathlon, and the offline with the online trading, all for the fun of the sport in a minimum of space with maximum output: Decathlon – reduced to the max.

Photography by kratz photographie