
The warehouse of Decathlon in Basiano with capacity for 14,234 pallets
The sporting goods distributor has fitted out its new warehouse with pallet racks and shelving for picking
Founded in 1976 in France, Decathlon is a trendy company which focuses on merchandising items for sports enthusiasts, from beginners to experienced athletes. It has a clear target to sell at an international level and, currently, is present in more than 35 countries such as Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Poland, China, and Brazil, etc.
You can find all types of products to practice any kind of sport in the more than 1,350 points-of-sale it runs worldwide. These include the most well-known brands to the company’s own private labels (called Passion).
Innovation is an integral part of all the projects of this company in order to adapt to ever-changing consumer markets. Traditionally, Decathlon runs massive superstores located in major commercial areas or shopping malls, all close to city centers. However, in recent years, it has chosen to bring sporting goods closer to home, redoubling its efforts to fulfill consumer habits. To do so, it has opened stores in some European capitals and, additionally, has bolstered the e-tailing of its products online. In 2017, Decathlon invoiced 12,559 million dollars, equivalent to a 10.5% increase.
One of the company’s objectives is to apply an omnichannel model throughout its business, to serve growing customer demands better. Thus, Fabio Montinaro, Logistics Director at Decathlon Brandizzo, points out that “We need fluid, flexible logistics.”
Decathlon started doing business in Italy in 1993 and now has more than 120 points-of-sale throughout the country, since it opened the doors of its first shop in Lissone. Thanks to its products’ quality and affordable prices, the Passion brands have been a resounding success all over Italy, and sales have shot up. Proof of this being the company registered more than 1,482 million dollars in sales just last year, which means an increase of 7.2% compared to the previous year.
Growing demand for products in Italy meant Decathlon needed to modernize its entire logistics. It was determined to optimize all storage and picking processes, reduce handling costs, increase productivity and offer better customer service. Following that line of action, it constructed three new distribution centers in the municipalities of Brandizzo, Basiano and Castel San Pietro Terme.
Decathlon’s products are within everyone’s reach, from anywhere and all day long, with a simple ‘add-to-basket’ click online. Receiving goods in a matter of hours from the comfort of your home is a real advantage for consumers, even though it puts pressure on the company. Ensuring that products are delivered in as short a time as possible, and dealing with more demand for these services requires flawless organization of all logistical processes. To do so, several fundamental issues need to be considered:
The Interlake Mecalux technical team worked with Decathlon’s in-house experts to chisel out a needs-based storage solution. Italy is one of the European countries with the highest risk of seismic activity. As such, the racking has been specifically designed to withstand the dynamic forces caused by earthquakes and, thus, prevent pallets from falling.
The three brand new logistics centers have very similar characteristics and space distributions, to achieve top-notch picking. According to Fabio Montinaro, “picking is our main operation, both for our customers that buy online all over Italy and for supplying Decathlon stores in the Northern region of the country.” Every working day, operators crisscross the aisles collecting the SKUs listed by the warehouse management system (WMS) on an RF device.
Every working day, operators crisscross the aisles collecting the SKUs listed by the warehouse management system (WMS) on an RF device
The warehouses are divided into two different zones:
Generally, Decathlon operates with 32" x 48" pallets and those of varying load heights (up to 7.7'), which can even exceed the base’s dimensions. So, the pallet rack system proved to be the most suitable to store pallets with many SKUs of different sizes, weights and heights.
Decathlon’s warehouses are mainly operated by forklift trucks when pallets are inserted and extracted from their locations and by ground level order pickers allocated to picking tasks.
New warehouse of Decathlon: Brandizzo | |
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Total storage area: | 5.66 acres |
Selective pallet rack: | |
Storage capacity: | 9,738 pallets |
Pallet size: | 32" x 48" |
Max. pallet weight: | 1,543 lb |
Rack height: | 31' |
Rack length: | 97' |
Pick shelves: | |
No. of shelves: | 10,640 |
Shelving height: | 7.38' |
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