Decathlon will reinforce its presence in eastern Germany with the opening of three new stores in Halle (Saxony-Anhalt), Leipzig and Dresden (Saxony), following its growth plan in the German market. The French multinational, which opened its 100th store in the country last November, plans to reach at least 150 establishments in Germany by 2027, according to a company statement.
The most notable opening will be in Halle (Saale), one of the few large cities in eastern Germany where Decathlon did not yet have a presence. The store will open in summer 2026 in the Halle Center Peißen shopping center in the municipality of Landsberg and will have an area of around 2,300 square meters. With this opening, the company arrives for the first time in a city of more than 200,000 inhabitants and reinforces its presence in an area with good road connections.
The company highlights the strategic importance of the location. Rafael Burckhardt, head of Decathlon’s expansion in Germany, explains that Halle was “one of the last large cities in the east of the country without a Decathlon store in its vicinity” and that the proximity to an important motorway junction will allow it to serve a larger metropolitan area.
Following this same line, regional director Marc Freitag points out that the opening puts an end to the absence of the brand in one of the main cities of the new Länder.
Reinforcement in Saxony
In addition to the arrival in Halle, Decathlon will strengthen its presence in Saxony with two new stores. In Leipzig, the company will open a small-format establishment in the Hauptbahnhof, the city’s main train station, in spring 2026. It will be the fifth Decathlon store in Leipzig and the smallest so far, designed for areas with a lot of traffic and for an urban and passing public.
This opening is part of the company’s omnichannel strategy, which combines physical stores of different sizes with online sales. According to Steffen Böhm, head of expansion, being present at the central station allows us to opt for “a format designed for places with a lot of traffic and large transport nodes.”
In Dresden, Decathlon will open its second store in the city at the end of 2026, after the one already operating in the center. The new establishment will be located in the Elbepark shopping center, one of the most visited in the metropolitan area, and will have an approximate area of 2,400 square meters. The company notes that the store will be especially oriented towards higher value products, such as bicycles, camping equipment and outdoor sports.
Different store formats
These openings are part of Decathlon’s strategy to adapt its stores to each location. In Germany, the company combines large multisport stores, up to 8,000 square meters, with smaller stores in cities and shopping centers, as well as specialized stores focused on specific sports.
With these three new stores, the company reinforces its presence in eastern Germany and consolidates its growth in one of its main European markets, within a sector marked by strong competition in the sale of sporting goods.