What: The brand is extending its rental subscription service to 1,000 users for its second stage of development.

Why it is important: The company is seeing an increase in performance while also reducing environmental impact.

The retailer is testing a new business model centered around use rather than ownership.

Through a monthly package with three formulas costing EUR 25, EUR 50, and EUR 95, consumers can have items whose total value must not exceed a certain amount, EUR 400, EUR 1,000, and EUR 2,000 depending on the subscription.

Customers can rent punctually such as a paddle in the summer or skis in the winter or over time and the entire Decathlon catalog is available, including textiles. Repair costs are the consumer’s responsibility, with breakage and theft insurance included. All items are reconditioned by Decathlon between each use.

During the retailer’s first phase, customers used an average of 24 products and emitted 130 kg of CO2 per person over the year, which is much less than owning all the items and also cheaper as customers paid three to six times less than if they had bought the products.

The co-director of We Play Circular encourages all retailers to test out rental services as they want to find the right solutions and continue to see success. He also noted that subscription income is almost only gross margin.

Rental: how Decathlon is moving up a gear in Belgium