In January 2022, Decathlon saw the arrival of a new CEO: Barbara Martin Coppola. Promoter of the group’s new visual identity appearing in 2024, the latter plans to restructure the ranges of the French brand.
“With its strategy called North Star, it intends to make the blue and white brand a multi-specialist company. It wishes to rationalize brands, all sports combined, to simplify its offering and strengthen the consistency of its ranges.”, explained Weelz this Monday, May 20, 2024 in a blog post.
We learn that this rationalization strategy is already applied to Decathlon’s range of bicycles. The French media reveals that the Elops, Riverside and Triban brands are disappearing. This leaves Btwin, Rockrider and Van Rysel. Note, the three remaining brands are recovering the models of those abandoned: the Elops go to Btwin, the Riverside to Rockrider and the Triban to Van Rysel.
César Bygodt, formerly at Riverside and Decahtlon Outdoor, and currently working at Rockrider, explains: “In reality, brands disappear, not products. It’s a bit of the front that changes, but not the back”.
Weelz adds that “the reflection around the discontinuation of these bicycle brands Triban, Riverside and Elops is made in a globalized context”. Although Decathlon is a reference in France, the brand still has work to do to establish itself at European level, across the Atlantic or even in the Middle East.