Decathlon padel sales surge

Decathlon has released its inaugural Sports Trends Report, revealing that sales of its padel products have grown by 850% in the UK since launch in 2019. 

It’s a massive growth rate and, while padel hasn’t yet made it in to the top three most searched sports on Decathlon’s website (tents, wetsuits and kayaks did), the retailer described padel as ‘the newcomer taking the UK sports scene by storm’. 

Ross Farrington, Decathlon Commercial Director, said: “2022 showed that, in general, people are becoming more active but also growing more ambitious and willing to try new sports and exercise. We’re excited for the year ahead with many opportunities to encourage more people to engage with different sports, maintaining a strong focus on doing so in a sustainable way.” 

Decathlon predicts several trends for this year, including the emergence and growth of non-traditional sports such as padel, consumers taking a ‘simple and sustainable’ approach to nutrition and innovation helping to improve the accessibility and quality of sport.