Decathlon appoints Geek+ as robotics partner

Geek+, a global leader in AI robotics technology, and Decathlon, one of the world’s largest retailers of sporting goods, have announced the successful deployment of hundreds of autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) in three key European distribution centres to automate Decathlon’s e-commerce logistics platform.

The modernisation of these three centres, located in Castelnau, France, Łódź, Poland, and Campania, Italy, leverages Geek+’s AMR technology to enable Decathlon to increase its storage capacity, streamline its logistics processes, and better serve its expanding online customer base across these countries.

The two companies have long collaborated to deliver outstanding logistics services in Asia, and this upgrade, achieved within the past six months, sees Decathlon similarly entrust the modernisation of several warehouses to Geek+. Geek+’s cutting-edge AMR and AI technology give Decathlon a high degree of flexibility.

Sébastien Alcasena, Logistics Transformation Manager at Decathlon, said: “The past two years represent a turning point in how people engage with e-commerce, and we have to provide service of the highest quality. In Geek+, we have found a great partner with a flexible and scalable robot-based solution to meet our customers’ expectations. We look forward to continuing our logistics transformation in Europe.”

New customer expectations for e-commerce – higher volumes of orders and returns, same- and next-day delivery, and near perfect accuracy – have brought new challenges for retailers and a need to address logistics bottlenecks. With 1045 stores in 25 European countries, Decathlon requires a highly flexible and fast supply chain, and has turned to Geek+’s goods-to-person solutions to optimise its B2C logistics.

Jackson Zhang, Vice President of Geek+ Europe, said: “Decathlon placed special emphasis on scalability at an international level when looking for an automation partner in their search for a solution that could cope with the rapid growth and the challenges of their e-commerce business. Geek+ is uniquely positioned to support this objective, having a successful track record of projects in China and the wider Asia Pacific region that have permitted double-digit growth in Decathlon’s warehouse flows.”

Geek+ tailor-made a new robotics solution for each distribution centre using hundreds of its P-series picking robots, as well as the RoboShuttle, Geek+’s next-generation tote-to-person AMR solution. The number and configuration of AMRs operating within Decathlon’s distribution centres can be easily adjusted to respond to fluctuations in order volumes during peak season. Unlike traditional infrastructure, the AMR systems allow for flexible maintenance and modification without any interruption of service.

The upgrades made to these three centres represent just the beginning of the collaboration between Decathlon and Geek+ in Europe. Given the rapid success of this project, the companies aim to identify other areas where Geek+’s AMR technology can help Decathlon deliver the world-class e-commerce service that has become its new standard.