Decathlon enters into partnership with InPost in the UK

Decathlon, the retailer specialising in sports equipment, has announced the launch of a new service for customers shopping online and on mobile. In this way, the company is responding to changes in demand, mainly triggered by the growing popularity of 'Click and Collect' delivery.

The service will be launched on Thursday 4 August. It will allow Decathlon customers to designate one of the more than 1,100 fully-automated InPost Parcel Machines® across the country as their online order collection point. All of the collection machines are located in safe and protected locations with ample and convenient parking spaces. These include Morrisons, Toys 'R' Us shops, petrol stations, tube and train stations. Pickup machines are available all day, including evening and morning hours, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. When placing an order, Decathlon customers are given a unique barcode to unlock the correct locker with the purchased product. This action takes just 7 seconds -- full automation.

Customers can select any Paczkomomat® as a pick-up point, at a location convenient for them, e.g. near their homes or offices. The customer receives information in advance via e-mail and SMS at what time the parcel with sports equipment will be delivered to the selected point and can be collected. In this way, the customer knows at all times where their parcel is and from what time they can collect it - thanks to this, they can arrange their day so as to collect their order at the time and place which is most convenient for them. On average, InPost parcel machines® are no more than two miles away from any resident of UK cities, so the wealth of choice is huge: the customer can tailor the collection to suit their needs.

"Our company's mission is to spread sport by offering sports equipment at low prices, at the convenience of the customer, providing advice and high quality service. InPost's machines appeal to these same values, providing our customers with a fast, safe and simple way to collect their purchases at more than the new 1,100 points. The parcel machines® are fully automatic, making them a great complement to our traditional distribution channels: home delivery and our own Click and Collect points," - Chris Baggaley, Head of Omni-Channel Operations at Decathlon, said.

Ian Caminsky, CEO of Inpost UK, emphasises that the partnership with Decathlon opens up new business prospects in the sports segment: "It is a fantastic feeling to be able to work with such a serious and prestigious partner. The development of e-commerce creates sales opportunities in all segments of traditional trade. In order to make the most of them, retail companies need to adapt their distribution chains to the increased demands of customers: convenience of collection, certainty of delivery and speed of customer verification right at the point of collection. InPost's offering fits perfectly into these requirements, as evidenced by successful implementations and established partnerships with companies around the world. I am delighted to have established a partnership with Decathlon. As InPost, we are ready to work together to increase customer satisfaction with sports equipment purchases."