Decathlon opens its first specialist running store in Bordeaux

Decathlon Running has just opened its first store entirely dedicated to running in Bordeaux. Designed by runners, for runners, it puts expert guidance and a passion for the sport at the heart of the experience. This pilot project, launched in a city with a particularly active running community, could mark the start of a new era for the French sports giant.

A store designed by runners, for runners

In the heart of Bordeaux, on Promenade Sainte-Catherine, Decathlon Running is unlike a typical Decathlon store. There are no vast multisport aisles, flippers or bikes greeting customers at the entrance, as you would usually find in the brand’s 300 stores across France. Here, everything revolves around one passion: running.

Covering 160 m², the new store positions itself as a true hub of expertise, designed for a community of passionate runners. The idea is simple: to offer a high-quality experience that matches the expectations of everyone from the Sunday jogger to the seasoned ultrarunner and marathoner. Decathlon wants to get closer to runners and “build a strong connection with the local community,” explains Yannick Ferré, the store manager.

This store was designed as a true reference point for running enthusiasts. Our ambition is to provide precise answers to runners’ needs, with expert, personalised guidance based on a genuine understanding of their sport. The human element is at the heart of the experience. Every member of the team is a passionate runner, able to understand customers’ expectations and support them as closely as possible in their practice. We want to build a strong connection with the local community.
Yannick Ferré, Decathlon Running Bordeaux store manager

Products from Kiprun, Decathlon’s running brand, naturally take pride of place. The range includes the popular KD900X LD+, the shoe Jimmy Gressier wore to become European half-marathon champion. But the offering goes well beyond that, with leading running brands including adidas, New Balance, Asics, Brooks, Hoka and Saucony. More than 120 shoe models are available in store. The message is clear: this is not a Kiprun showroom, but a genuine specialist retailer for all runners, whatever their brand preference.

When it comes to services, the store has opted for authenticity and expertise: treadmill gait analysis, product testing and personalised advice. Above all, there is a team of four passionate running advisers, all runners themselves, ready to discuss nutrition, marathon training plans or carbon-plated shoes. Everything is in place for a premium customer experience and to help runners find the shoe that suits them best.

Services available at Decathlon Running

Expert running and trail offering, with Kiprun products and a selection of international brands
High-precision gait analysis
A product testing programme, so you can try before you buy
An introduction to the KIPRUN PACER app, a coaching tool offering personalised, adaptive training plans from 10K to trail, designed to evolve according to feedback from its users.

Decathlon has opened its first store entirely dedicated to running in Bordeaux: Decathlon Running.

Running at the heart of a major strategic shift

This new store has not appeared out of nowhere. Its opening comes as part of a major shift Decathlon has been making since 2024. New logo, new image, new ambition. Long seen as a low-cost generalist retailer, the group now wants to become a benchmark in several popular sports, including running, with a promise built on expertise and performance.

To achieve that, Decathlon has reduced the number of its own brands, refocusing its offering around nine major sports categories, including mountain sports, outdoor, fitness, mobility and racquet sports, as well as four so-called “expert” brands: Simond for mountaineering, Van Rysel for cycling, Solognac for hunting and… Kiprun for running.

And this is more than a marketing exercise. Over the past two years, Decathlon has invested seriously in running: developing highly innovative shoes, signing Jimmy Gressier, Méline Rollin’s marathon performances, and the creation of 42 House in Iten, Kenya. Kiprun is active on every front. Running and the French market have become major strategic priorities for the brand, and this specialist store is a perfect illustration of that shift.

In Bordeaux, Decathlon is laying the first stone of its new retail strategy with a clear goal: to get closer to runners. If the concept proves successful, it is easy to imagine it expanding to other major cities such as Lille, Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Running has never been more popular, and Decathlon may have found the right balance between expertise, accessibility and proximity.

✔ Decathlon Running is open Monday to Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 49 rue Sainte-Catherine, 33000 Bordeaux.