Decathlon

This is one of my favourite sports shop.
The only thing lacking I feel is qualified members of staff to assist you

I usually love Decathlon and on this occasion, I went in to look at the commuter scooters and to try out the model with the handbrakes. However, there was a staff member selfishly hogging the tester model of the scooter I was interested in (or else it was his own personal scooter, in which case, why is it out at work? Correct me if I am wrong) for the entire time I was there. It’s not like I could easily chase him down and ask to borrow it! He even went behind a staff counter and took the scooter with him so as not to let customers use it.
It would be perfectly acceptable if the store wasn’t very full, but it was a Saturday afternoon with the store brimming with keen customers. He didn’t look like he was doing much work other than scooting around and discouraging people from buying the scooter.

This is a very good store with something for everyone who enjoys spending time outdoors. It’s an improvement in my opinion now that every is now based on one site rather split between two adjoining locations, it just a work better as before things where just that bit too spread out. I would however like to see the reintroduction of a café.
Unlike some other retailers with stores across Europe what you get in one Decathlon is the same as any other Decathlon store in Europe which is reassuring. Prices in store cover every budget for example you can spend a few hundred on a bike or several thousand. The wide range of tents is one of the key strengths of Decathlon. In my experience the staff are all friendly although there could do with being just a few more. All in all though a very good store and well worth checking out.

I ordered a mask online and received the wrong size in the mail. After contacting the company it is clear they do not care. Very poor service.

As others have already mentioned the store is currently n the process of redevelopment and while they are working on the new building they merged their two old buildings into one but unfortunately in the process they removed the canteen.
The whole redevelopment process will apparently end in 2017 and by then they will have underground parking & a completely different looking store.
That aside the stores still offers everything that it used to offer, which is every single thing you can think of regarding sports equipment at ridiculously low prices! It is also worth noting that apart of the popular brands they also sell their own brands on store which even if you never heard of are of excellent quality if not superior to the main brands.
The fact that it stays open until late makes it deserve the 5 stars

Sportsy people. Behold! Thine fountain of endless pleasures is here! Ye will findeth all that ye adventurous soul can fathom. Nonetheless, ye will have to walk. A lot.

Ok, so it’s a bit out of town, and in the afternoon the queues build up at the tills, but it’s worth it. Where else can you get kitted out for an entire skiing trip, for all the family, for a couple of hundred quid?
It’s massive — serving all sorts of sports. But we’ve only really gone there to get thermals, layers, trousers, jackets etc. £7 for kids snow boots!!!
It’s only a few mins walk from the tube, but it also has extensive car parking.
Note the café has now shut, as it looks like they’re going to be doing some consolidating of their two buildings, but there’s a few coffee places nearby, a crêpe van on Sunday, and a sainsburys.

How do I love Decathlon? Let me count the ways…
I’m not sure how I managed to live in London before I started shopping here. Decathlon is a huge (and I mean HUGE) sporting goods store that sells everything from stationary bikes and weights to fishing gear, horse riding apparel, and all the sports equipment and clothing you could possibly imagine.
It’s Canada Water location is just a few minutes from the station and is split into two major sections. The largest contains the hiking, backpacking, and seasonal apparel, along with shoes, and accessories for popular sports like football, golf, tennis, etc. The second building, which is right next door, contains the gym equipment, bicycles, scooters, horse riding stuff, fishing stuff, and bunch of other stuff I don’t even recognise. Most of my time is spend in the first building.
If there’s one thing you should know about Decathlon is it’s CHEAP. You can get t-​shirts for less than £5, decent hiking boots for under £30 or £40 — it’s amazing. I almost exclusively get all my socks and all my sporting/​workout apparel (not that I play sports or work out that often), as well as lots of my winter wear. Their seasonal winter stuff is great if you want to stay warm without spending a fortune and I stock up on their base layers every year now.
There’s no real downside to Decathlon, though I would discourage you from buying their absolute cheapest products. For instance, if they have a selection of gloves that range from £1 to £10, you can be fairly certain the £1 are pretty awful. Spend an extra pound or two and you’ll get something that lasts longer. Also, the changing rooms are a bit out in the open and it can get pretty hot in the store in the summer.

Wow, does this place make you want to get into sport or what? So many choices and range of prices, I felt like I could have spent ages going through it all.
If you’re hardcore I’m sure you’ll have a specialist shop somewhere that is more suited, but for everyone else this is likely your one stop shop… I went in for two things, but left with about twenty, and not much worse for wear on the pocket.
I’m knocking a star as generally the staff seemed a bit phased out and it’s a bit odd that this particular store is literally split into two buildings, and personally I found the layout a bit random at times, but otherwise the shop certainly exceeded my expectations.
Last note, if you print your own (free) membership card in the store you can get receiptless long term returns and exchanges… why on earth don’t more places do this?!? (The receiptless part at least… I mean, we are working on commercial space travel, but I still can’t exchange an item without a piece of paper?)
If you’re looking to get into sport, need some gym clothes, or are one of those random people who like to be out of your element (I love DIY shops, but have about zero DIY skills) then you could do far worse than popping into here.

I’m in no way a sporty person, but this place is awesome.
I managed to get a swimming costume for £5! For someone who only fancies a dip once in a blue moon, I did not want to spend a small fortune on something that would make me glide like a fish under water.
I could have spend ages browsing the shelves. It’s like the IKEA of sporting goods. A warehouse for fitness fanatics.
Defiantly worth the trip.

Impressive quality and always have a great deal. I like this market so much because of there services too. This is very awesome place. The staffs are very friendly and easy to talk to.

This place is amazing. I browsed their website and got some pretty good deals on camping gear. Having placed my order I went to pick it up and was blown away by the size and scope of everything they have on offer.
I mean, they have EVERYTHING!*
Forget London 2012 ‘Inspire a Generation’, this does the job nicely.
*Well they may not have everything but you know, in the world of sport they come pretty close.

In 2006, I purchased a tent for over $ 100. It was recalled due to not meeting flammability safety standards. Decathlon said to cut up the tent, send the pieces in, and I would get a full refund plus $ 10. Well, I never got one cent back. Complete scam. Out a tent and out $ 100. Beware if you get a bad item. They ended up dissolving decathlon USA due to poor quality products that were recalled. Complete disappointment, and untrustworthy company based in the UK.

I love Decathlon. We used to bring the kids here for the afternoon when they were younger to ride the bikes and skate and scoot around the store. Excellent value and a great range of kit. Spread over two buildings this caters for all sports and you can really spend some serious time here especially if you have kids. We always get beach kit here for holidays body boards, wet suits, quick dry towels all good quality and value for money. They have some decent sale rails for real bargains. Canada Water is the nearest station.

Holy Crap this place is AWESOME!!! I could play in here all bloody day!
I bought a pair of rollerskates here. Sadly just before the cold weather set in so only used them once. But… this place is awesome. While testing out my skates, i rolled around the entire store… and never got yelled it.
They have everything in sport. And you can test it out! I like to come here… just to test out the stuff!

What a great place. It’s huge and covers many different sports ranging from tennis to surfing.
Particularly good for equipment and sports related gadgets. I’ve found myself going there 3 times in the last two weeks and in the process buying a tent, camping equipment, hiking gear and lots of ‘essential’ accessories that I might just need on the way.
The prices are great which just encourages you to buy more. Staff are helpful and friendly.
Best sporting goods shop I’ve been to.

I love you Decathlon!
Decathlon makes me sporty. OK — so I am (was) anything but sporty. But living next to Decathlon has forced me to become a (half) Marathon runner and a regular hiker.
Decathlon does a great job of selling. Products are among the most competitively priced and the quality is not too compromised on either. For some reason, I always thought otherwise. Maybe because it’s French? They never run out of stock for some reason. Good inventory management.
The staff is very friendly. I have almost never had trouble finding what I need. They’ve always gone that extra mile to make sure I get what I’m looking for.
Really glad to have Decathlon for a neighbor.

Decathlon once had an advertising poster saying «You can spend hours in Decathlon» and if you’re into sports, this is true. I once spent an entire afternoon trying on all their rollerblades and skating around the store.
The store is huge, so big in fact, that it’s actually 2 stores next door to eachother. There’s free parking and they sell pretty much everything you could need.
The one downside is that their ranges are often limited to Decathlon own brand products. They tend not to have higher end sports equipment either, so for example, don’t bother with Decathlon if you’re after some high end inline skates or a top snowboard.
Do head to Decathlon if you want your top snowboard serviced at a bargain price though, or if you’re just bored :)
It’s like Toys R Us for grown-​ups!

I like Decathalon for the fact that they have friendly, knowledgable staff and they are indeed cheap. Indeed, sometimes too cheap. When are they going to stop the irresponsible practice of selling shitty bicycle locks for under a fiver to naïve customers who will later wonder why their pride and joy has been nicked by somebody carrying nothing more offensive than a nail file? Come on Decathalon… take this rubbish off your shelves and only sell proper bike locks (ideally with the ‘sold secure’ mark).
Good café inside the store.

Decathlon isn’t one of those places that you will just happen to pass whilst out shopping (unless you live in Canada Water) so if you decide to visit, you will likely have to make a special trip Eastbound.
It is absolutely worth it though as this store has everything you will ever need sports and leisure wise. From bicycles, golfing, running, roller skating, you will find all manner of equipment and accessories. I am a typical last minute person and the evening before heading to Reading Festival, I realised I was minus a tent. Everywhere had sold out and on heading to Decathlon I was cursing myself out the prospect spending a huge amount. I was pleasantly surprised however and found a great 2 person tent for around £35 which I thought was a super price considering the quality, and have used it many times since.
It is also a great place to take the kids — they will love it but will be warned; their Christmas and birthday list will probably end up somewhat extended!