Partners for Growth: DHL Global Forwarding supports Decathlon�s international supply chain

Dedicated DHL control tower operations provide full visibility for complex global operations spanning Europe, Asia, North Africa and South America

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HO CHI MINH CITY, VIETNAM - Media OutReach - August 7, 2019 - DHL
Global Forwarding, the leading
international provider of air, sea and road freight services, partners
Decathlon, the French sporting goods giant to provide comprehensive services
for its international supply chain operation. At the DHL Fashion and Retail
Conference held in Ho Chi Minh, both companies shared what it takes to
successfully operate a multi-national supply chain, enabling Decathlon stores
to stock over 22,400 items covering more than 85 different types of sports.

(From left) Archer Fu, VP, Head of Business Development, DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific; Thao Nguyen, Head of Procurement and Logistics, Decathlon Vietnam; and Marc Meier, SVP, Global Head of International Supply Chain, DHL Global Forwarding, at a joint press briefing.

Marc Meier, SVP, Global Head of International Supply Chain, DHL
Global Forwarding said, “DHL Global Forwarding runs a dedicated DHL control tower
which provides a single point of contact in Vietnam and Taiwan for Decathlon’s operations.
Providing full visibility for Decathlon’s logistics teams, our control tower
services oversee Decathlon’s air, sea and road shipments from factories in
Vietnam and Taiwan to the world, including Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Europe,
India, Malaysia, Morocco and Singapore.”

Global businesses that source from multiple locations and
ship to numerous destinations face a particularly complex supply chain that
demands greater visibility and control to optimize operations and reduce costs.
With more than 1,000 supply chain experts across 82 offices in 46 countries
worldwide, DHL’s International Supply Chain services offer comprehensive
solution design and project management backed by a global governance structure
that guarantees consistency across operations.

“Decathlon prioritizes the quality of our products and the
entire customer experience to ensure we secure our positioning as the go-to
retailer of affordable sports apparel, accessories and equipment. While we ramp
up on our offline and online presence for the convenience of our customers, we
are working hard behind-the-scenes to make sure that our manufacturing and
logistics processes can efficiently cater to the demand of our discerning
customers,” said Thao Nguyen, Head of Procurement and Logistics, Decathlon
Vietnam.    

In Vietnam, Decathlon launched two retail stores in Hanoi
and Ho Chi Min City in 2019, spanning 4,300sqm and 2,600sqm respectively, and
introduced 70 sports brands. The company collaborates with six business
partners across Vietnam to keep prices and lead time competitive for the local
market and to reduce carbon footprint. As a full-fledge logistics partner, DHL
Global Forwarding also provides road freight solutions for the brand to
transport goods from Vietnam to Cambodia. 

Vietnam’s attractiveness as a manufacturing hub for the
world lies in its geo-strategic location, youthful demographics and abundance
of affordable land and labor. Coupled with easy access to multiple markets via
free trade agreements, the country’s textile and retail industry is primed for
growth as Vietnamese spending power increases and more international brands
seek to establish their presence here.

“Today’s retailers require agile and innovative supply
chains to cater to a new generation of customers who demand instant
gratification and tap opportunities in emerging markets. With our extensive
range of logistics services and expertise in the retail sector, DHL Global
Forwarding is well-positioned to support the growth of businesses here,” said
Archer Fu, VP, Head of Business Development, DHL Global Forwarding Asia
Pacific.

50 Years DHL

In 2019 DHL is celebrating 50 years since the company’s
founding by three entrepreneurs in San Francisco in 1969. DHL began as a
disruptor to the traditional delivery industry, circumventing bureaucracy with
an innovative new service to deliver documents by air overnight. Since then,
DHL has grown into a globe-spanning family of DHL companies with about 380,000
employees in over 220 countries and territories that covers the entire spectrum
of logistics and supply chain services. DHL’s customer-centricity and can-do
culture have fueled five decades of innovation — from the DHL 1000, one of the first word processing computers in the world,
to using the purpose built StreetScooter, an environmentally friendly delivery
vehicle powered by an electric drive and developed by Deutsche Post DHL Group.
With the Mission 2050 commitment to reach zero group-wide emissions by 2050,
DHL is continuing to be a trailblazer in the logistics industry.

 

DHL — The logistics
company for the world

 

DHL is the leading global brand in the logistics industry. Our DHL family
of divisions offer an unrivalled portfolio of logistics services ranging from
national and international parcel delivery, e-commerce shipping and fulfillment
solutions, international express, road, air and ocean transport to industrial
supply chain management. With about 380,000 employees in more than 220
countries and territories worldwide, DHL connects people and businesses
securely and reliably, enabling global trade flows. With specialized solutions
for growth markets and industries including technology, life sciences and
healthcare, energy, automotive and retail, a proven commitment to corporate
responsibility and an unrivalled presence in developing markets, DHL is
decisively positioned as “The logistics company for the world”.

 

DHL is part of
Deutsche Post DHL Group. The Group generated revenues of more than 61 billion
euros in 2018.

Decathlon

Decathlon is a retail chain that owns many
exclusive brands since 1976 in Lille, France. As of 2019, Decathlon has 85,000
employees from 80 countries, sharing two core values of “Life Vitality”
and “Responsibility” with the key message: “To sustainably make
the pleasure and benefits of sports accessible to many”. Decathlon Vietnam
was established in 1995 with production activities. Until now, Decathlon
Vietnam has more than 400 teammates working in around 100 factories in the
country to manufacture and ship tens of millions of products to our stores all
over the world.

In Vietnam, apart from the online sales site launched in 2017, Decathlon has
opened two mega stores in Hanoi with a scale of 4,300m² on April 27,
2019 and in Ho Chi Minh City with a scale of over 2500m² on June 1,
2019, providing products of more than 70 sports at each store. Mr. Lionel
Adenot — Decathlon Vietnam country leader, Decathlon Vietnam said: “We aim
to bring the joy and benefits of sports to many Vietnamese people in a
sustainable way, creating a positive footprint in Vietnam through sports!”