Decathlon signs with Immoeast and opens 3,200-sqm store in Cluj

French sportswear retailer Decathlon, owned by Mulliez billionaires who also control Auchan hypermarkets, will open a 3,200 square metre store in Polus Center shopping centre of Cluj in August, the French company's second store in Romania, after the one launched in April 2009 in Bucharest. Against an average rent ZF puts at 7 euros/square metre monthly, the contract between Decathlon and Immoeast, Polus Center owner, has an annual value of around 270,000 euros. "After studying the market for a year and a half, we've decided to open the first store of Transylvania in Cluj. For us, after the capital city, Cluj is the most important city in the country, so that we took into account the high number of young people studying here, the brands present locally, the client traffic, as well as other opportunities," Gwenn Hervo, development responsible with Decathlon, told ZF Transilvania. According to the company's representatives, 30 people will be hired in Cluj. By yearend, Decathlon should open stores in Brasov, Iasi and Bucharest. The retailer is also in talks to open stores in Timisoara and Craiova, which will most likely happen next year.