Sporting goods retailer Decathlon to close five stores in GTHA this summer

The French sporting goods retailer Decathlon announced Wednesday it was closing five stores in the Greater Toronto Hamilton Area this summer.

A post on their official website slated the shutdown of stores in Brampton, Burlington – in the Mapleview Shopping Centre, Markham, Scarborough, and Vaughan.

The retailer did not offer a reason for the move, say how many staff will lose their jobs, or when the stores will be closed.

Decathlon Canada said it will be supporting employees affected by the closures, and will consider all employees who want to apply for open positions in other markets.

In place of running its large-scale stores, the company says it is considering opening smaller locations, or using a wholesale distribution model.

These new store closures will leave only one operating Ontario store, located in Ottawa.

There are 14 other store locations across Alberta, B.C., Nova Scotia and Quebec.

Decathlon entered the Canadian market in 2018 with a Brossard, Que., store. The company expanded steadily ever since, going head-to-head with established domestic players like Canadian Tire Corp. Ltd. and its Sport Chek banner.

“Decathlon Canada remains committed to making sport accessible to Canadians no matter where they live, and looks forward to sharing more about our retail evolution in the years to come,” the company said on their website.

With files from The Canadian Press.

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