First there was Bedok, then City Square Mall in Kallang, and now this: Sporting goods retailer Decathlon announced yesterday (May 22) that it will open its biggest store in Stadium Boulevard, Kallang early next year. With the exception of a curiously located outlet in Joo Koon (currently the biggest), the retail giant seems intent on bringing their affordably priced sports gear to inactive citizens on the east of the island.
The newest outlet will be the biggest one here, at about 5,000 sq m in size, it was reported. Slated to open its doors in Jan 2019, the newly christened Decathlon Singapore Lab will feature state-of-the-art virtual and augmented reality technologies, in addition to its large offering of sports equipment. Customers can also attend events and sports clinics within the store, as is so in the three existing stores.
Opening Decathlon Singapore Lab is actually in collaboration with national sports agency Sport Singapore, which leased the land to the retailer for 15 years, as part of a contractual agreement for Decathlon to promote local participation in sport. (Eastsiders, we’re still looking at you.)
The French sporting goods retailer is the largest in the world, with over 1,000 “superstores” in 38 countries. It opened its first Singapore outlet at Viva Business Park in Bedok in 2016, setting off a chain reaction in inspiring Singaporeans everywhere to spend freely on hauls of sporting goods they don’t really need. Did Kallang need another Decathlon? Probably not; but we’re already looking forward to 2019.
