Kuehne+Nagel trusted Road Logistics partner for Decathlon in Europe
How did you spend the last days of 2024? For the team at Kuehne+Nagel’s Road Logistics hub in Chaponnay, France, and their partners at Decathlon, the typical holiday lull turned into an unexpected logistical challenge that tested their flexibility.
A few days after Christmas, Decathlon’s Distribution Centres across Europe experienced a surge in demand that surpassed previous forecasts, prompting the Kuehne+Nagel team to dispatch a staggering 38 full truckloads in a single day on December 27.
“Our team wasn’t at full capacity due to the holidays”, recalls Cindy Cusin, team leader in the Road Logistics hub in Chaponnay which serves as a Control Tower for Decathlon. This is a team that is always available for the customer, coordinating all deliveries, proactively solving issues, and always seeking improvement opportunities.
Despite the challenging situation, they managed to accommodate Decathlon's request by swiftly engaging with available road carriers and securing trucking capacity on short notice. “This kind of agility is exactly what Decathlon values in its long-standing partnership with Kuehne+Nagel, which has grown stronger year by year”, says Cindy.
A growing partnership
The Chaponnay team mainly manages road and intermodal freight from Decathlon’s European fulfilment centres to regional distribution hubs across France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, the UK, Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, and Romania. To a smaller extent, they also manage shipments from suppliers to warehouses and from warehouses to Decathlon stores. The team even supports Decathlon by reducing their transport emissions through an intermodal solution.
This is what Decathlon’s Traction Flow Transport Manager had to say about the partnership: "We would like to underline the commitment of Kuehne+Nagel, and particularly the Chaponnay team, which was again by our side throughout 2024. Whether for the management of contractual flows or emergencies, their responsiveness, agility and service quality constitute essential pillars of our partnership. We know that we can count on Kuehne+Nagel during key moments to support us in satisfying our customers.”
Kuehne+Nagel is looking forward to the next challenges to solve for Decathlon, as we continue to support them in their mission to make sport accessible to all.
With over 80,000 employees at almost 1,300 sites in close to 100 countries, the Kuehne+Nagel Group is one of the world’s leading logistics providers. Headquartered in Switzerland, Kuehne+Nagel is listed in the Swiss blue-chip stock market index, the SMI. The Group is the global number one in air and sea logistics and has strong market positions in road and contract logistics.
Kuehne+Nagel is the logistics partner of choice for 400,000 customers worldwide. Using its global network, logistics expertise and data-based insights, the Group provides end-to-end supply chain solutions for global companies and industries. As a member of the Science Based Target Initiative (SBTi), Kuehne+Nagel is committed to sustainable logistics by reducing its own environmental footprint and by supporting its customers with low-carbon logistics solutions.