Decathlon could expand to Fuerteventura

The French brand is focusing on the Canary Islands for the purchase of Intersport and will assume about a hundred workers if the deal goes ahead

Decathlon is closing a major move in Spain’s sports‑retail sector. The French multinational is finalising the acquisition of a significant portion of Intersport’s business, a former rival in the Spanish market.

The transaction follows the financial collapse of the Swiss parent’s Spanish subsidiary, which was forced to liquidate the group’s companies that operated roughly 120 stores across Spain after entering bankruptcy proceedings in March and failing to implement its viability plan.

After the Iberian subsidiary was liquidated in November, Intersport France took control of the purchasing centre and merged the operations into a new Southern‑Europe hub that unifies the markets of France, Belgium, Spain and Portugal.

The remainder of the business—mainly the retail stores—was split into about ten geographic lots. Most of these lots have been left empty and are now being liquidated, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Scope of the Offer

• The proposal targets the Canary Islands core of Intersport, covering 14 stores and an outlet in Tenerife, plus two additional stores in Fuerteventura and one store on the mainland in the Catalan municipality of Puigcerdà (Girona).
• This network employs just over one hundred workers, representing roughly half of the staff that Intersport maintained in Spain.

Since 31 December, the deal has been under review by the National Commission of Markets and Competition (CNMC), awaiting approval to proceed. The regulator’s portal indicates that Decathlon’s acquisition is aimed at assets of Intersport CCS, one of the three Spanish entities of the company, alongside Intersport SL and Intersport Retail One.