It all began with seven sports fans and budding entrepreneurs who met in a parking lot in Englos, France to try to improve the way sporting goods and equipment were manufactured and sold. From this key moment when Michel Leclercq opened the very first store in Lille, France in 1976 until today’s international presence, our teams have been united in a common goal: make sports accessible to as many people as possible. Each sport or group of sports is represented by Décathlon’s own Passion Brands. A committed team of athletes, designers, product managers, researchers, and engineers collaborate to design the best products for their sport.