I’m surprised no one posted about this yet. A couple of sporting goods megastores have now opened in Taipei called Decathlon. Apparently they are French and it’s as if the sporting goods section of Carrefour got expanded into the whole store. Most everything was dirt cheap and I only saw a few name brands. They had about 6 models of Asics shoes and a few Yonex racquets but the rest were a few bargain brands that apparently make everything under the sun. The prices were extremely cheap – I saw rows of backpacks for NT99. But the quality looked dubious to me. This is absolutely not Sports Authority or any other big sporting goods store I’ve been to back in the West so please don’t get your hopes up. But if you were looking for the cheapest products at the cheapest prices, this might be the place for you.
Definitely worth a visit, although try to avoid on the weekend as it is a madhouse (kids are allowed to try out bicycles, basketballs, etc. etc. with the expected mayhem this brings). The stuff is generally cheap and lowish quality however they generally carry larger sizes and were the only place I could get a large pair of trainers off the shelf recently, although there are low end and cheap. They have a good range of tents, particularly small cheap variety for occasional days at the beach. Their Taichung branch is much bigger than the Neihu one and carries their full range of bicycles however if you see one you want on their website they say they will have it transferred to the Neihu branch FOC. They do carry some oddball stuff like horse riding saddles, whips and boots that I imagine there is not a huge demand for, at least not for their originally intended purpose!
Love Decathlon. Everything is mostly their own brands. Gym clothes are super cheap. Im almost certain their shoes are made the same factories as the name brands. I think the quality should be pretty good, Decathlon is pretty big in Europe
They have the flagship store in Taichung for the last few years. thought it might fail but it’s picked up after a while. seems to be big in France, owned by Turks. Their biz model is unusual seeking their own brand stuff, vast majority made in China and Asia by OEM factories. Ikea of the sports world? perhaps. anyway it can be fun to have a look even though, yeah I’m not into fishing gears, horse riding or skiing. I made up the skiing bit.
They also sell Golf umbrellas for 229, great flip flops and board shorts. The kettle bells there are also really cheap. I am almost certain that they use the same OEM’s as Nike etc, but can sell for cheaper without the marketing, distribution and legacy costs. Love Decathlon so much
I have a couple of long sleeve shirts that I bought at Decathlon in Paris two years ago and they are some of the best shirts I’ve ever owned. Very thin and breathable and very warm. Around nt$500 each.
Quechua brand is brand of the shirts and a couple other things I’ve owned and have been really really happy with.
I remember wishing they had the stores in Taiwan and now they do. Clothing looks good quality and well-made as well as other things in the store. At great prices.
Tents, bicycles, water sports gear, workout equipment, a little of everything at good prices.
Best place to get outfitted for all kinds of activities extremely cheap and good quality.
It’s a go-to store for anybody who walks, runs, bikes, climbs, weightlifts, etc.
To be fair they do have lots of things I would need or want to buy. It’s just that it’s a small selection and other stores are better if you want to check more stuff.
