In 2022, the Ligue 1 ball will be signed by Kipsta, and therefore… Decathlon.
The distributor specializing in sports has formalized its partnership with the Professional Football League and is thus pursuing its strategy of developing "in-house" products.
DECRYPTION
In one year, the Kipsta balls, a brand of Decathlon, will be able to pass directly from your feet to those of… Kylian Mbappé.
The distributor specializing in sport and the Professional Football League have formalized their partnership for Ligue 1, valid from 2022. A tight turn, which has only one goal: to prove that the group also knows how to make the top of range.
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A partnership with the NBA signed in January
This is a huge bet for the brand, which allows the French to practice almost any sport, thanks in particular to affordable entry-level.
Behind this contract, we clearly find the two main strategies of the group.
First, that of favoring its own brands: Decathlon no longer wants to be a simple distributor.
The brand highlights its in-house products, which are more and more sophisticated, and developed by in-house engineers.
And then there is the target of professional sport, a shift that is now increasingly accepted.
Last January, the brand even signed a contract with the NBA, becoming an official partner of the famous American basketball championship.
300 stores located in France
Four months later, this new partnership is meant to be a win-win. For Decathlon, whose turnover has been rocketing for several years, it is obviously a huge showcase. And for the League, it is a way of getting closer to the fans thanks to the power of the distributor's network, which has no less than 300 stores in France.