Decathlon has two stores in Polus Cluj mall moved to fight with Hervis and Intersport directly

Austria's Immoeast, owner of Cluj-Napoca-based Polus shopping centre, decided to move Media Galaxy and Debenhams stores to make room for French sporting goods retailer Decathlon, which will open its second store of Romania on Thursday on a 3,200-sqm area.

Decathlon, which ended 2009, its first year in business in Romania, with 9.1m-euro turnover, generated by the only store held in Militari Shopping Center of Bucharest, is opening its second store in one of the shopping centres with the biggest number of tenants selling sporting goods and equipment.

Thus, the French retailer will enter direct competition for clients with its most important rivals, Hervis and Intersport, also present in the Cluj shopping centre.

This is the first time the three names are fighting directly on the same "turf", while more than a year ago Militari Shopping Center was the only project that attracted two of them, Hervis and Decathlon, inside the same shopping centre.

Decathlon management accounted for its choice by the fact that Cluj is Romania's most important city, after Bucharest.

The French retailer announced it would open further stores in Braşov, Iaşi and Bucharest, being also in talks for stores in Timişoara and Craiova, for next year.