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Decathlon India 2009-2019
Vohra, Neharika; Chari, Vijayalakshmi Case IIMA-OB0245 / Published March 22, 2021 / 49 pages. Collection: Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad
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Product Overview

Headquartered in France, founded in 1976, a family firm with professional management Decathlon started retail operations in India in 2009 in B2B format and in B2C format in 2013. Decathlon India was the first country among 55 other countries where Decathlon operated to earn profit within five years of its selling directly to the customer. In 2019 Decathlon in India had an online store and 76 physical stores (ranging from 10 years to 2 months old) located in 40 cities in 19 states. 4909 teammates worked in the retail, product procurement, production, warehouse and logistics functions. All equipment sold in Decathlon stores was designed in house and produced under the close supervision at third party sites. The case describes the structure, process, systems, culture, and strategy of Decathlon in India, its growth in India, and its current challenges.



Learning Objectives

The concept and importance of culture: While no one culture may be best for any organization, there is no denying the fact that culture matters. The case helps in recognizing what the culture is, how one can shape it, and how it may be used to make several decisions such as recruitment, induction, performance management and feedback. Understanding the importance of fit: The case presents the concept of fit of purpose, mission and values to the firm’s culture, processes and leadership actions. It helps participants in this case discussion to see the importance of alignment and fit. Engagement of employees as a function of autonomy, transparency, challenge, potential for growth, and trust in the organization. There is much research to show that engaged employees are productive employees. The factors that influence engagement of employees can simply not be achieved by rewards or praise and recognition. Engagement is an outcome of work being challenging, interesting, matching with passion and interest, and a work environment that challenges, is transparent, allows for autonomy in decision making, and inspires trust in the managers and the organization. This case may be used to show what might be ways of building engagement of employees. Long term success of the organization: Understanding what it means, how it can be achieved, and why it might be important. The case shows that attention to people, ethicality, sustainability, learning orientation and succession planning are some of the elements of building an organization that succeeds in the long run.


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  • Overview

    Headquartered in France, founded in 1976, a family firm with professional management Decathlon started retail operations in India in 2009 in B2B format and in B2C format in 2013. Decathlon India was the first country among 55 other countries where Decathlon operated to earn profit within five years of its selling directly to the customer. In 2019 Decathlon in India had an online store and 76 physical stores (ranging from 10 years to 2 months old) located in 40 cities in 19 states. 4909 teammates worked in the retail, product procurement, production, warehouse and logistics functions. All equipment sold in Decathlon stores was designed in house and produced under the close supervision at third party sites. The case describes the structure, process, systems, culture, and strategy of Decathlon in India, its growth in India, and its current challenges.

  • Learning Objectives

    Learning Objectives

    The concept and importance of culture: While no one culture may be best for any organization, there is no denying the fact that culture matters. The case helps in recognizing what the culture is, how one can shape it, and how it may be used to make several decisions such as recruitment, induction, performance management and feedback. Understanding the importance of fit: The case presents the concept of fit of purpose, mission and values to the firm’s culture, processes and leadership actions. It helps participants in this case discussion to see the importance of alignment and fit. Engagement of employees as a function of autonomy, transparency, challenge, potential for growth, and trust in the organization. There is much research to show that engaged employees are productive employees. The factors that influence engagement of employees can simply not be achieved by rewards or praise and recognition. Engagement is an outcome of work being challenging, interesting, matching with passion and interest, and a work environment that challenges, is transparent, allows for autonomy in decision making, and inspires trust in the managers and the organization. This case may be used to show what might be ways of building engagement of employees. Long term success of the organization: Understanding what it means, how it can be achieved, and why it might be important. The case shows that attention to people, ethicality, sustainability, learning orientation and succession planning are some of the elements of building an organization that succeeds in the long run.