Decathlon has established itself as an iconic brand in the world of sport. Founded in France in 1976, it quickly became a key player on an international scale, offering both amateurs and professionals accessible and innovative products. Present through its numerous Decathlon stores around the world, the brand covers a wide range of sports disciplines, ranging from team sports to precision sports. This rebranding is in line with major brand transformations, as we analyzed in our article on the biggest rebrands of 2024.
This article is written by the Brand experts at Studio Elias: a certified Webflow partner branding agency
Its success is based on an integrated brand strategy, combining design, production and distribution. With the support of its engineers and 400 designers at Decathlon, the company develops high-performance products based on a portfolio of expert brands: Kipsta for team sports, Simond for climbing and mountaineering, Btwin for cycling, Btwin for cycling, Tribord for water sports, Tribord for water sports, Quechua for hiking and mountaineering, Inesis for golf and Kuikma for paddle tennis.
Faced with the evolution of the market and consumer expectations, Decathlon is adopting an ambitious rebranding strategy. This change of logo and visual identity aims to reflect Decathlon's ambition to strengthen its positioning as an international sports brand.
The transformation of Decathlon is marked by the introduction of a new Decathlon logo, called “The Orbit”. The latter symbolizes movement, dynamics and innovation, while maintaining the roots of Decathlon's history. The Orbite is inspired by the iconic leaning “A” present in the old logo, and it can evoke several symbols such as a mountain, a sail, a wave or even a heartbeat. This change reflects a desire to modernize and unify the brand's image, while maintaining its DNA.
The sports brand has also revised its color palette with a deeper blue, synonymous with trust and commitment. This color also provides better readability and reinforced consistency on the various digital and physical supports.
In parallel with the logo change, Decathlon is adopting a more assertive digital approach to optimize the customer experience. The brand is banking on a profound digital transformation, with a redesign of its website and online shopping platforms, aimed at making the experience more fluid, intuitive and personalized.
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The CEO of Decathlon, Barbabera Martin Coppola, highlighted Decathlon's ambition to unveil a brand identity that is more consistent with its global growth strategy. The brand thus aims to support its customers in a more fluid experience, both in store and via Decathlon's digital supply chain.
The rebranding of Decathlon is not limited to a logo change. This is a global transformation for Decathlon, redesigning its organization to better reflect its values and its commitment to sustainability, innovation and customer experience. The company is working to better position Decathlon in the sports market by simplifying its brand portfolio and by putting more emphasis on its products.
This evolution aims to improve the visibility of products, while strengthening its brand image. Decathlon has built a marketing strategy focused on digitalization and the optimization of communication. The Decathlon brand thus relies on a strong, coherent and adaptable identity to the new challenges of the global market.
The rebranding of Decathlon is not only about its brand image, but also about its commitment to sustainable and responsible transformation. As a global brand, Decathlon wants to strengthen its influence in the world of sport by implementing initiatives that look to the future.
In a context where sustainability is a key issue, Decathlon integrates an eco-responsible approach into its brand strategy. The company invests in the eco-design of its products and the optimization of its supply chain to reduce its carbon footprint. It also aims to make its customers aware of more sustainable consumption by offering alternatives such as the rental and repair of sports equipment.
Decathlon is constantly inventing new solutions to improve the athletes' experience. Thanks to its research and development network, the brand explores innovative technologies to optimize the performance and comfort of its products. Decathlon's ambition is to become an essential reference in terms of innovation in the field of sport.
At Studio Elias, we understand the importance of strategic rebranding for brands that want to evolve and adapt to their environment. We have supported several companies in their transformation, with an approach based on creativity, strategy and relevance.
In particular, we had the opportunity to work on rebranding projects such as:
Our “pirate” approach allows us to go beyond the classic codes of branding by offering daring, strategic and user-centered solutions. We thoroughly analyze the DNA of each brand to identify a unique, striking and sustainable identity.
The rebranding of Decathlon is a perfect example of how a brand can transform while remaining true to its essence. With Studio Elias, we support companies in these strategic transitions, by reinventing their image to better conquer the future.
