French sports retailer to create "experiential flagship" at Leeds former BHS store

A sports and lifestyle company has announced that it will be taking over a former BHS site as its new Leeds flagship store.

Decathlon, which is a French sporting goods retailer, has signed a deal with Landsec retail and leisure destination Trinity to launch its new store.

The company has taken the former BHS store on Boar Lane for an “experiential flagship” that will span 35,000 sq ft over two floors.

The store will fully launch in April, becoming the company’s second in the region and 44th in the UK.

James Hutchinson, portfolio manager at Landsec, commented: “We’ve already seen an incredible response on our social media channels to this exciting new anchor store.

“Our shoppers are counting down the days until the Decathlon launch, tangible evidence of Landsec’s work at Trinity, bringing the heart of Leeds back to life.”

David Baker, Decathlon Leeds store manager, said: “Since my first day at Decathlon, it has been a dream of mine to open a store in my home city of Leeds.

“I am very excited that we can help make sport more accessible to people in the city. We’ve already built strong relationships with a number of partners, including Leeds Dock Running and Cycling Club, and Active Leeds.

“We can’t wait to connect with all the sports enthusiasts in and around Leeds.

“It’s also no coincidence that Leeds is twinned with Decathlon’s home city, Lille – it has long been a target location of ours.

“We have spent a lot of time during the pandemic making sure our offer at Trinity is perfectly tailored to the local customer needs, and we’re in no doubt that this young and vibrant city will embrace Decathlon Leeds as the go-to store for all sports-related products and services.”