After working for Decathlon for almost 4 years, I would recommend their products to anyone. However I would not recommend anyone to seek employment there.
Lack of opportunity would be my number one reason for this. The Graduate scheme that they have promises opportunity to progress within the company. During my time there I witnessed only 2 promotions from this graduate route, and over 10 leave the company from this scheme.
Secondly pay does not meet what is expected of you. As a full time member of staff you will be expected to take on a lot of responsibility, and not get paid any more for it. There are no senior sales, supervisor or team leader positions. A part time member of staff who is only asked to serve customers and re-stock shelves, will be on the same hourly rate as someone who is expected to hold a pair of keys and lead a team when senior management is absent. You may even work your way up to Duty Manager, with responsibility to open and close the building, and be on call 24-hours in case of an alarm. Reward? Extra £50 per month.
To progress in Decathlon generally you will have to leave the store you currently work in. They do not consider your situation at home, and expect you to apply for higher positions in other stores. The pay for the role you step in to does not in my opinion meet the cost implications of moving regions. There only around 15 stores in the UK, so chances are you will move a long way from home to fulfil your new role. This also means that you will find very qualified and experienced members of staff stuck in sales assistant positions, and management joining externally. The result is a manager leading staff who are more qualified.
