Decathlon India Reports 20X Growth in B2B Vertical Over Five Years, Expands to 20,000+ Entities

Decathlon India is no longer just a retail story. Its B2B business, the wholesale vertical of the French sports retailer, has quietly become a major growth engine for the brand in India.

Driven by demand from corporates, SMEs and startups for sports and wellness solutions, French sports retailer Decathlon India's B2B vertical has scaled 20-fold in five years to serve over 20,000 entities across the country, with its wholesale arm now contributing 10% of its India revenue and over 40% of B2B demand coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.

Decathlon India B2B Growth: The Numbers

The scale of Decathlon India B2B growth is significant. According to the company, its business to business operations have expanded 20-fold over the past five years and now account for about 10% of the sports retailer's overall business.

What started in 2018 as an ancillary channel now reaches more than 20,000 pin codes, covering over 90% of India. The company currently works with around 20,000 partners and plans to double that base to about 40,000 over the next three to four years, said Raghwendra Singh, Wholesale Director, Decathlon Sports India.

Key Insights: Where is the Demand Coming From?

• Bharat is Leading the Charge

The biggest surprise in Decathlon wholesale data is geography. Smaller cities and remote regions are now core to the business. Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions, including high-altitude terrains across Jammu & Kashmir, Leh & Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and the Northeast, contribute more than 40 per cent of total B2B revenues.

This shows a clear shift — demand for organised sports infrastructure is no longer metro-centric.

• Beyond Corporates: Government and Defence as Growth Pillars

Decathlon India's B2B vertical spans corporates and small enterprises, schools and institutions, resellers and retailers and government and defence requirements.

The company is positioned as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) on the Government e-Marketplace (GeM), through which it has fulfilled more than 1,000 orders, supplying high-altitude expedition tents, cycles, footballs and field equipment to more than 500 government organisations and PSUs.

Its defence presence extends to CSD Army Canteens and the Kendriya Police Kalyan Bhandar (KPKB).

• Corporate Wellness and Gifting is the New Play

Decathlon also works with corporate customers on workplace sports and wellness programmes as well as gifting solutions. With companies increasingly investing in employee wellness and engagement, sports gifting and fitness kits have become a high-margin, repeat-order category.

The company is also seeing opportunities beyond metro cities, where resellers, retailers and smaller government organisations are driving demand.

The Bottom Line

For a brand known for its big-box retail stores, Decathlon India's wholesale success marks a strategic diversification. The B2B channel not only contributes to revenue but also builds brand presence in places where a full-format Decathlon store may not yet be viable — schools, PSUs, army units, and SMEs in remote pin codes.

With a target of 40,000 B2B entities and a push to make India a nearly $1 billion market in the next five years, the wholesale arm will be critical to Decathlon India's next phase of growth.

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