Decathlon Bicycle Repair Workshop
In the town of Ștefăneștii de Jos, Ilfov County, operates one of the largest repair workshops in Romania, dedicated to sports equipment. In the last 12 months, over 60,000 products – from bicycles and fitness items to tents and kayaks – have been refurbished here.
The workshop serves over 30 service centers across the country and is part of an integrated network of a well-known sports equipment retailer. Every time a new store is opened, the company includes a service center, which functions as an actual repair workshop or a buy-back system. Products brought by customers are technically evaluated, and depending on their condition, they can be reintroduced into the commercial circuit.
According to data provided by the company, 80% of the items taken through the buy-back system in 2024 were repaired and resold. Prices were 15–50% lower than those of new products, with a two-year warranty offered.
The repair gamble proved to be a winner. 15% of the bicycles sold last year were refurbished bicycles. And in the case of skis, the proportion was even higher: 60% were second-hand products, reintroduced for sale after technical revision.
Sustainability vs. Profitability
Gabriela Barbu, Sustainability Director of Decathlon Romania, emphasizes that buy-back and repair initiatives are part of an economic model that simultaneously aims to reduce environmental impact and ensure financial viability.
"Sustainability and profitability must go hand in hand because otherwise, no retailer or business would launch actions from which they lose. But they are profitable or sustainable as economic performance for companies, looking at the whole. That is, if we expect to launch a sustainable business and for it to be profitable from the start, just by looking at and analyzing the sustainability segment, it is not necessarily the best way to start, in my view and the company's.
Everything is viewed as a whole. These are services we offer to the customer, and for this reason, we look at how often the customer returns, what the customer's lifetime is when accessing the sustainability process. The customer comes to the store more often. They come 2.5 times more than a customer who only buys standard products and does not repair or reuse them.
So yes, it is a business that grows thanks to these anchors we offer our customers.",
she explained.
Internal Challenges: Employee Mentality
The first challenge, profitability, was thus overcome over time with the help of data. However, the challenge related to employee mentality remained. Suddenly, they had something else to do besides their daily tasks.
The solution? Circular economy indicators in the bonus system. Between 33% and 50% of the monthly bonuses for store employees are now linked to the performance of sustainable programs.
And this is how, by motivating employees, the repair program gained momentum and actually contributed to a larger sustainability objective. For three years, the company has already decoupled its carbon footprint from business growth. This is what needs to happen with the entire economy by 2050, according to European climate laws.
Repairs and the reuse of sports equipment directly contribute to this result, especially by extending the lifespan of products and reducing waste.
The video report on Decathlon's sustainability initiatives opens the second edition of the campaign "A Second Life. Circular Economy Models", initiated by the Sustainable Solutions Association, with the support of Stratos, aiming to inspire the business environment to transition from a linear to a circular business model as quickly and easily as possible.
You can watch the other 9 video episodes here.
