French discount sporting goods giant Decathlon is set to open its first store in Israel Tuesday. Spanning 3,000 square meters (32,000 square feet), the new store in Rishon Lezion's G Center, in central Israel, has 60 departments and will sell athletic shoes, sports equipment and clothing, as well as dietary supplements at competitive prices. Decathlon is the third international sports chain to enter the Israeli market, following American retailer Foot Locker and Switzerland's Intersport. According to financial daily Globes, Decathlon's arrival is expected to spark fierce competition in the sector, which features higher prices than in other Western countries, is controlled by only a few players and has an annual revenue of over 2 billion shekels ($560 million). Founded in France in 1976, Decathlon employs 78,000 people in 1,221 stores across 32 countries. Decathlon's sales increased some 50% between 2006 and 2010, and the company ended the 2016 fiscal year with 10 billion euro ($12 billion) in revenue. At a press conference on Sunday, Decathlon Israel CEO Louise Chekroun said, "I have been in Israel for a while now. People here have told me, 'Decathlon is great, it's wonderful -- but at what prices? Will the prices be like in France-' Israelis travel the world and they know the prices and they told us, ' Don't come if it's not the same prices.' I can say with great pride that the prices in Israel will be the same prices as in France." Unlike its European branches, Chekroun noted that in Israel, Decathlon would, for the most part, offer its own brands, of which there are 25, with the exception of certain items such as dietary supplements. An attempt by the sporting goods chain to enter the U.S. market in 1999 was short-lived, as Decathlon was forced to shutter its doors just seven years later.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו