The retailer stocks a wide range of sporting goods, from tennis rackets to advanced scuba diving equipment, usually in large, big-box superstores averaging 4,000m2 in size.

[10] The company expanded abroad to Germany in 1986,[11] Spain in 1992,[11][12] Italy in 1993,[11] Belgium in 1997,[13] Portugal, the United Kingdom in 1999, Brazil in 2001, mainland China in 2003, India and Romania in 2009, Turkey[14] and Czech Republic in 2010, Taiwan and Lebanon[15] in 2012, Hong Kong in 2013, Malaysia, Singapore and Mexico[16] in 2016, South Africa, Philippines, Tunisia[17][18] and Indonesia in 2017; in South Korea, and Australia in 2018, and Canada in 2019.

[20][21][22][23] In January 2022, Barbara Martin Coppola was appointed CEO[24] In 2022 Decathlon closed their retail store presence in the United States.

[27] In November 2023, Decathlon acquired Bergfreunde, an online specialist retailer for mountain sports, climbing, and outdoor equipment.

[28][29] Decathlon is increasing its investments to boost production and expand its retail presence in India, from where it presently exports around 65% of its output to international markets, according to Global CEO Barbara Martin Coppola.

[30] In July 2024, Decathlon reported its investment Recyc'Elit, a start-up specialized in the chemical recycling of polyester textiles and complex PET plastics.

[1] Online delivery has been introduced in Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Colombia, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong SAR, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Mainland China, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Philippines, Romania, Serbia, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, and recently, Egypt, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

[68] In July 2017, Decathlon entered the Philippine market with a location at Festival Mall, Muntinlupa and at Tiendesitas, Pasig.

[95] Later on 1 August 2023, Decathlon closed their physical and online store in Bangladesh, and shifted to sell their products through Daraz and Unimart.

[101][102] Later, in February, Decathlon unveiled its planned four further openings in Swiss city centers: two in Geneva, one in Vevey and one in Winterthur.

2008 was a record year for the company as the brand Decathlon had beaten all its competitors on three key points: margin, market share, and highest turnover per square meter of retail space.

[citation needed] A 2008 survey of 774 catchment areas at the request of the Ministry of Economy and Finance shows that "for sporting goods, Decathlon is dominant in 92.8% of zones".

[113] A 2025 investigation by Follow the Money revealed that Decathlon, a French sporting goods retailer, has suppliers implicated in forced labor and environmental violations.

The Chinese Jifa Group, a key supplier, operates a factory in Xinjiang employing hundreds of Uyghur workers, including teenagers from a nearby school where students undergo indoctrination.

Additionally, Decathlon's main footwear producer, Vietnam-based Thai Binh, uses Brazilian leather sourced from farms involved in illegal deforestation.

Internal documents indicate that Decathlon's emphasis on low costs exerts pressure on suppliers, potentially leading to human rights and environmental violations.

[114] Decathlon has been under scrutiny after reports indicate that the company's suppliers in Sri Lanka's free trade zones violate the country's labour laws.