Adventure operator Intrepid Travel has partnered with sports retailer Decathlon and will launch a Decathlon Travel brand.
New product will be developed specifically for customers of the French-owned sports retailer, which attracts 60 million unique users a month on its website.
Decathlon Travel will initially be rolled out in France, where its family investment backer Genairgy – which made the largest ever investment in the Intrepid Group in March – is headquartered.
The brand will also be available to Intrepid’s French-speaking markets of Belgium and Switzerland before it is rolled out in the UK from 2023.
Interview:James Thornton, Intrepid Travel chief executive
Speaking to Travel Weekly, Intrepid Travel chief executive James Thornton said: “All those people that go to Decathlon to buy their sport and activity gear – we’ll be able to sell them a travel experience.
“We’ll develop totally new product for Decathlon Travel customers, centred around experiences and activities that they love. It’s very exciting.”
Thornton added: “We wanted to find partner that could give us more than just money.
“Private Equity is great but has to get certain returns. We wanted a company that was much more culturally aligned.
“Money might be the outcome from doing something, but it’s not the reason for doing it.”