Decathlon is to close its sports and lifestyle store on the Purley Way, as the business downsizes to relocate in a purpose-built standalone unit within Croydon’s Ikea in Valley Retail Park.
Towering success: Ikea is about to welcome a lodger
Ikea Croydon will be the first in the country to host a Decathlon “lodger”, as the business’s owner, Ingka Group, seeks to increase the number of visitors to their stores and eke out more income from their property. It is suggested that this “co-habiting” arrangement will be the first of several with Decathlon and, potentially, other brands.
The new 1,188sqm Decathlon will be about one-fifth of the size of its existing Purley Way floorspace, contained within Ikea’s overall 25,000sqm.
Decathlon on Purley Way opened in 2015. The new, snug Decathlon store will be ready to open “this spring”, Ikea says.
Ikea will “become a one-stop shopping destination for lifestyle needs where customers can be inspired and design and create their dream home spaces at IKEA, alongside discovering new sporting passions and the joy of being active at Decathlon”, the Swedish retailers say, unusually without mentioning meatballs.
“The retailers share a commitment to offering well‑designed, high‑quality products at accessible prices, helping customers create a better everyday life, both in and out of the home.” Which is nice.
The Decathlon offer will include more than 5,000 products across hiking, camping, running, fitness, swimming, cycling and more. The Decathlon store will also offer services such as Buyback, “to keep high-quality gear in play”, and click and collect at this out-of-town-centre location with copious car parking.
Multi-discipline store: Decathlon will have its own dedicated entrance at Ikea Croydon
Launch activities and opening offers “delivered by a local team of passionate sports experts” are to be announced soon, the retailers say.
Kim Chin-Sung, market manager for Ikea Croydon, said: “We first opened Ikea Croydon back in 1992 and since then, the way people shop has changed.
“The new Decathlon unit coming to IKEA Croydon is the latest example of us investing in and reimagining our stores to ensure customers and co-workers continue to get the most out of these spaces.”
Ikea continues to expand its stores, opening at seven new locations in 2025, including in Oxford Street and in Brighton town centre.
Read more: Alan Partridge might not cope with his £1 breakfast at Ikea
Read more: Starmer visits Ikea Croydon – but not to assemble new cabinet
PAID ADS: To advertise your services or products to our 10,000 weekday visitors to the site, as featured on Google News Showcase, email us inside.croydon@btinternet.com for our unbeatable ad rates
- If you have a news story about life in or around Croydon, or want to publicise your residents’ association or business, or if you have a local event to promote, please email us with full details at inside.croydon@btinternet.com
As featured on Google News Showcase
- Our comments section on every report provides all readers with an immediate “right of reply” on all our content. Our comments policy can be read by clicking here
ROTTEN BOROUGH AWARDS: In January 2026, Croydon was named among the country’s rottenest boroughs for an EIGHTH time in nine years, in Private Eye magazine’s annual round-up of civic cock-ups
- Inside Croydon is a member of the Independent Community News Network
The great thing about Decathlon is that it offers a huge range of goods (usually at a fantastic price) and the Croydon branch was easily accessible from either the tram or via it’s own car park. I often go for one thing and come away with other stuff because it’s there and easy to browse. The new one, at a fifth of the size, will only offer a fraction of the stock and we’ll have to do battle with Ikea customers. Yes there’s a tram but it’s further away, so not ideal if you buy large items. The smaller store is also likely to be more crowded and one of the joys of the existing store was the space to move. Oh well, more online shopping then!
Shame. It was one of the few bricks and mortar stores I could put up with visiting – spacious and never overly packed…which I suppose is exactly why it wasn’t commercially viable. I hope the wider Decathlon brand doesn’t deteriorate. It’s miles better than the likes of Sports Direct. Huge range, good enough quality, fair prices. Probably too good to be true in order to turn a profit in the UK.
I’m a long-time Decathlon shopper and rate their range and products. But the Croydon store has always been useless – I have to trek up to Canada Water to find what I want and get questions answered. The Croydon store seems to have a load of casual staff with very little English.
As we all know, the current Decathlon shop is huge. Any word on what/when might be opening on the existing Decathlon site? Note that Argos on the other side of Sainsbury’s in Purley Way closed in November 2019, and Home Bargains only opened on that site last month (Jan 2026).
Current suggestions are that it’s going to get a second storey added, with the downstairs becoming a Sports Direct and the upstairs an Everlast gym.
While I was hoping for a gym (preferably one with a pool), I could’ve done without the Sports Direct.