Fashion Law Journal
Decathlon is read “NOLHTACED” when written backwards, and the company hopes that this marketing strategy would inspire customers to engage in “reverse shopping.”
The name change, which will be in effect for a month, is a part of a marketing drive aimed to promote “reverse shopping” – the general public’s awareness about the possibility of retailing in the ‘opposite direction’, with the chain buying from its customers products they no longer use. This move will help customers resell their old or unused sporting goods to the store where the items can be repaired and resold under warranty.
Reverse shopping mainly entails buyers returning used or unwanted athletic items to the retailer, who will then repair the item and resell it in some capacity while still under warranty. The action is intended to increase public awareness of environmentally beneficial activities.
The company took to Instagram to announce the change in name and wrote, “This month Decathlon becomes nolhtaceD… because a Buyback action, is like shopping in reverse, right?”
Decathlon’s campaign aims to let people resell their items and be paid through Decathlon purchase vouchers, even if their items are not from the company’s brand. The vouchers will be valid for two years and can be spent on new equipment or other second-hand items excluding underwear, swimwear, socks and helmets.
“The objective is to reuse as much equipment as possible in order to reduce the impact on our environment and avoid waste. Decathlon’s second-hand offer also allows less fortunate consumers to buy quality sports equipment at lower prices,” the company said in a statement.
Decathlon, the largest sporting goods retailer in the world, has over 1,697 stores in 60 countries and regions. It was founded by Michel Leclercq in 1976 with the first store in Lille, France. A decade later, it expanded its footprints to other parts of Europe including Germany, Spain, Italy and Belgium.
