Decathlon gets go-ahead for plans
By Brendan grehan
French sports retailing giant Decathlon has been granted planning permission by South Dublin County Council to construct a mezzanine floor (1,220 sq m) to the existing retail warehouse unit at Unit 14, Liffey Valley Retail Park on Coldcut Road in Clondalkin.
This will result in a unit comprising 3,252 sq m gross floor area (from 2,032 sq m gross floor area existing); provision of signage (one illuminated sign to the north elevation (31.64 sq m); two non-illuminated signs on the south elevation (16.03 sq m and 2.47 sq m respectively); one non-illuminated sign on the west elevation (16.03 sq m); associated alterations to the internal layout; associated elevational alterations and all other associated site works.
Liffey Valley Retail Park
Known as the “Ikea of sports” for its large, warehouse-style outlets and enormous range of keenly priced sporting goods, Decathlon was founded by Michel Leclercq in 1976.
It started with a store in Lille, France. It started to expand abroad a decade later, to Germany in 1986, Spain in 1992, Italy in 1998, Portugal, the United Kingdom in 1999, China in 2003, India in 2009, Hong Kong in 2013, Malaysia in 2016 and Southeast Asia in 2012 and South Africa, Philippines in 2017 and Australia in 2018.
The retailer stocks a wide range of sporting goods, from tennis rackets to advanced scuba diving equipment.
The first Decathlon store will open next year in Ballymun.
The proposed store in Liffey Valley will be its second store in the Republic.
