There is another boss at the top of the German Decathlon. Arnaud Sauret will be appointed CEO of Decathlon Germany with immediate effect, the French sporting goods retailer announced on Thursday. Almost three weeks ago it was announced that the previous head of Germany, André Weinert, was giving up his post and taking over management of Central Europe.
The change at the top in Germany does not change the sporting goods retailer’s ambitious goals of “becoming the first address for sports in Germany” by 2026.
From salesman to Germany boss
The implementation of the company’s goals now lies with Sauret, who has worked for Decathlon since 1996. The designated Germany boss started as a salesman in Dortmund and worked his way up to the position of branch manager in Germany. In 2006 Sauret left the German market and moved to France. There he initially worked for Decathlon’s own brand Solognac as a supply and then as a product manager. This was followed by a stint as regional manager at Decathlon France before moving to Russia.
In Russia, he was responsible for Decathlon’s product range and production before spending four years as Malaysia managing director. There he steered local growth “with tireless enthusiasm and strategic skill”.
“I’m really looking forward to coming back to Germany,” said Sauret. “It makes me incredibly proud to see how Decathlon Germany has grown in recent years.”
The new boss praised his predecessor André Weinert, who was appointed Decathlon Leader for Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe (CESEE) at the end of August. The previous Germany boss thus took over responsibility for 17 stores of the French sporting goods retailer. During his time at the helm of Decathlon Germany, gross sales increased by 70 percent from 2018 to 2022, from 622 million euros to 1.06 billion euros.
The Decathlon Germany team currently has around 6,000 employees and the store portfolio has 85 locations.