Decathlon will close its Queens Square branch in Crawley on July 24, with the closing down sale underway. A sign outside the store reading “permanently closed”, but the store remains open while stock is cleared.
“Thank you for being a loyal customer! You can still find us online at http://www.decathlon.co.uk or come see us at our Croydon and Brighton stores,” the notice reads.
Many resident have expressed worry that the high street closure is another knock to Crawley’s struggling town centre. reports The Sun.
“It’s a huge loss for the town centre which, outside of County Mall, appears to be an increasing struggle for retailers,” he said in a post on Facebook.
The sports chain brand was founded in France in 1976 by Michel Leclercq and now has more than 1,900 stores across 82 countries.
The retailer was introduced to the UK in 1999 and has become a regular on high streets across the country.
Separately, Decathlon has linked up with Sewdish furniture brand IKEA to trial a new “shop-in-a-shop” concept in the UK.
The pilot store opened in April at IKEA Croydon, featuring a standalone 1,188 square metre unit with over 5,000 products across 70 sports.
If successful, IKEA could expand the Decathlon collaboration to additional locations.
