Last updated : April 01, 2025 3:43 pm
Javier López, who comes with 26 years of experience at DECATHLON, having held numerous positions in digital, logistics and retail; will be replacing Barbara Martin Coppola, who has held this position since March 2022.
Multispecialist sports brand DECATHLON has announced the appointment of Javier López as its Chief Executive Officer, replacing Barbara Martin Coppola who has held this position since March 2022.
The company says the new appointment is part of DECATHLON embarking on a new phase in its history, aimed at strengthening its competitiveness and growth, while stepping up its actions to promote access to sport and its universal values wherever it operates.
“To lead this new phase of evolution, and as part of Julien Leclercq's assumption of the role of Chairman, DECATHLON's Board of Directors has decided to appoint Javier López as Chief Executive Officer, replacing Barbara Martin Coppola who has held this position since March 2022,” says the company statement.
“I would like to thank Barbara for the impactful work she has carried out over the past 3 years. Today, DECATHLON is a sports brand that is increasingly recognised around the world for its products, its commitments and its positive impact. As DECATHLON embarks on a new phase in its history, I have every confidence in Javier and his natural ability to bring people together to drive our ambition, and identify new levers for sustainable growth while further strengthening our unique human and inclusive culture,” says Julien Leclercq, Chairman of the DECATHLON Group.
“Over the past three years, we have initiated a major evolution of DECATHLON, moving from ambition to action. I'd like to thank all our teammates, whose dedication made all of this work possible: we've repositioned the DECATHLON brand by redefining the customer experience in-store and in e-commerce, which now accounts for 20% of our revenue. We have rethought our brand portfolio, signed partnerships with global reach and created new circular economy models. I'm incredibly proud of the progress we've made. I have every confidence in Javier to lead an ever more ambitious company, in the image of DECATHLON,” explains Barbara Martin Coppola.
“I am particularly honoured by the confidence of Julien and the Board of Directors as I take up my new position, and I thank Barbara, with whom I have enjoyed working in the Executive Committee for the past 3 years. As a Decathlonian for 26 years, I'm proud of the work we've done over the years to bring the benefits of sport to more and more people around the world. Together, with all our teammates, we will, with determination, enthusiasm and humility, accelerate our economic development and our efforts to serve our human and environmental commitments,” says Javier López, CEO of DECATHLON.
Most recently, Javier headed DECATHLON Germany from 2012 to 2015, then served as CEO of DECATHLON Spain from 2015 to 2022. Having been the driving force behind the company's strong growth in Spain, Javier was then appointed Global Chief Value Chain Officer in 2022.