In a bid to make sports accessible to everyone, Decathlon Belgium will be opening up its location to external partners through Workero.

Following the opening of our location at Procter and Gamble, we are excited to announce our partnership with yet another major organisation with a focus on co-creation – Decathlon.

The Belgian branch of the largest sporting goods retailer in the world will open up its national headquarters, located in Evere in the north of Brussels, to external partners through Workero for co-creation. As its motto ‘Sport for the many’ highlights, Decathlon aims to make sport accessible to as many people as possible.

And it is making great strides in doing so.

By working alongside external partners, it is welcoming new and fresh ideas, as Erik Aerts, Operations Manager at Decathlon Belgium, explains:

If we want to succeed in making sports accessible to as many people as possible, we must expand our existing business model. This is why we are excited to open up our doors to external partners, with which we can create new partnerships.

Co-creation is a two-way street

Glen Beniest, B2B Account Manager at Decathlon Belgium, highlights that these partnerships are mutually beneficial:

“We are open to make improvements, but we are also here to help others to further develop their companies as well.”

Innovation through co-creation
Firstly, by joining the Workero network, it is working towards this goal in an innovative way: by co-creating. Opening up Decathlon Belgium’s headquarters to external partners, from entrepreneurs to startups, scale-ups and SMEs, will give the company access to the best talents to collaborate on projects within this field.

And by innovating their products, they are able to stay true to their motto, and allow everyone, whether you are an amateur or a professional, to share the benefits of co-creation and the joys of all sports, from scuba diving, to hiking and surfing.

Watch our video to learn more about this unique partnership.

An example of this is JUMP, an accelerator of entrepreneurial projects in the world of sport, health and well-being, powered by Decathlon, and the first company to work in the coworking spaces.

Alicia Verspecht, Co-founder of JUMP, further emphasises the possibilities within this location:

“It will be an environment where we will be able to boost and support everyone’s projects and meet a lot of people.”

JUMP organises and offers personalised programs tailored to the level or stage of the project’s progress, and depending on whether the applicant company is a startup, a scale-up or an SME, it will receive coaching, training, networking, and much more.

Applications for the next program will open in October 2020.

Discover more about how Decathlon is working to make sports accessible for all in the video below.