Decathlon's Robotic Leap: A New Era for European Logistics

MUNICH, Germany – March 24, 2026 – In a move poised to reshape the landscape of European retail logistics, global sports giant Decathlon is deploying a massive fleet of autonomous robots across the continent. At the LogiMAT trade show today, warehouse robotics provider Exotec announced the full-scale rollout of its Skyfleet® program for Decathlon, a sweeping initiative to standardize and automate seven key distribution centers across five countries.

The ambitious program represents a landmark investment in supply chain technology for Decathlon and solidifies Exotec's position as a leading end-to-end integrator in the rapidly growing warehouse automation market. By creating a unified, replicable logistics model, the two companies are building a new backbone for retail replenishment that promises unprecedented speed, efficiency, and flexibility.

The Blueprint for a Robotic Revolution

At the heart of the partnership is a standardized, scalable architecture designed by Exotec to be deployed across Decathlon warehouses in France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy, and Germany. This is not a piecemeal upgrade but a comprehensive overhaul of the entire intralogistics flow, from inbound receiving to outbound shipping.

Each of the seven Skyfleet sites is built around a common configuration:

• A fleet of 150 to 200 of Exotec's signature Skypod® robots, which can navigate in three dimensions to retrieve and transport goods.
• High-density storage racks providing 100,000 to 125,000 storage locations.
• A network of 7 to 13 ergonomic picking stations designed to minimize physical strain on employees.

This standardized hardware is orchestrated by Exotec's proprietary Warehouse Execution System, Deepsky®. The software acts as the central nervous system for each facility, coordinating the fleet of robots and integrating a suite of additional automated equipment, including automatic depalletizers, carton openers, and RFID tunnels. By developing a single software codebase shared across all seven warehouses, Exotec has dramatically simplified deployment and ongoing maintenance.

"We were looking for a partner to support us in rationalizing our logistics network," explained Jérôme Saillour, Head of Logistics Automation at Decathlon. "We chose Exotec because they were able to deploy many sites in a short time and integrate scalable solutions that adapt to our evolution."

Measurable Gains in Efficiency and Safety

The impact of the Skyfleet program extends far beyond technical specifications, delivering tangible and dramatic improvements in performance. The new operating model has enabled Decathlon to double down on efficiency, with some sites now serving twice the number of stores they previously supported. For example, the Ferrières site in France has expanded its reach from 37 to 73 stores.

Throughput has seen a staggering increase. The facility in Setúbal, Portugal, which previously handled 57,000 orders per day, now processes 114,000—a 100% increase in capacity. These figures align with or even exceed industry benchmarks, where automation projects typically report productivity gains between 40% and 200%. The system is engineered for a capacity of 3,000 to 4,000 order lines per hour, processing up to 200,000 items daily at each site.

Perhaps most importantly, these efficiency gains have been coupled with a profound improvement in the work environment. At the Northampton site in the UK, a warehouse picker who once walked up to 10 kilometers per day now covers just one. At the same facility, workplace incidents related to order picking have been cut in half, dropping from one in 5,000 to one in 10,000—a testament to the safety benefits of letting robots handle the heavy lifting and extensive travel.

A Strategic Play for European Dominance

For Decathlon, the Skyfleet program is more than a logistics upgrade; it's a strategic imperative. In a fiercely competitive retail market driven by e-commerce and consumer demand for speed, a resilient and efficient supply chain is a critical advantage. This multi-site automation project allows the company to standardize its European operations, ensuring consistent performance and service levels from Lisbon to Berlin.

This standardization streamlines everything from training and maintenance to performance benchmarking. While each site remains locally managed, Decathlon now benefits from harmonized dashboards that allow teams to share best practices and continuously optimize operations across the network.

The system's inherent flexibility is another key strategic asset. The modular design of the Skypod system allows for rapid scaling. During peak demand periods, robots can even be redeployed between sites to align resources with operational needs. The Ferrières site has already demonstrated this scalability by adding 13 more robots to its initial fleet to meet growing demand.

This deployment also cements Exotec's role as a dominant force in the European warehouse automation market, which is projected to exceed €10 billion by 2028. By acting as both the manufacturer of the core robotic technology and the master integrator for the entire warehouse, Exotec offers a unified solution that reduces complexity and accelerates return on investment.

"When we launched our first Skypod robotic system nearly ten years ago, we brought flexibility and resilience to storage and order picking," said Romain Moulin, co-founder and CEO of Exotec. "As intralogistics has become strategic for our clients, we now create value across the entire warehouse, and through this Skyfleet program, we demonstrate our ability to orchestrate multi-site deployments."

By transforming its logistical core, Decathlon is not just optimizing for today's market but building a foundation for future growth. The partnership with Exotec has, in the words of Jérôme Saillour, allowed them to "profoundly transform the experience of our warehouse employees and write the next chapter of logistics for Decathlon."