French robotics unicorn Exotec announces multi-site Skyfleet deal with sports retailer Decathlon

Exotec, a specialist in robotic solutions for warehouse logistics, has announced the deployment of a multi-site programme called Skyfleet for Decathlon.

This spans seven logistics platforms across five European countries: France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Italy, and Germany.

After deploying its first Skypod robotic system at its Tilburg site in 2021, Decathlon chose to expand the partnership with a project that involved standardising store replenishment across the European continent.

Exotec developed a dedicated programme built on a harmonised, replicable, and scalable architecture; one that enables the roll-out of a standardised model while still adapting to each site’s specific requirements.

At every Decathlon site, Exotec integrates additional automated equipment to optimise intralogistics processes: automatic depalletisers, automated carton opening machines, RFID tunnels, automatic palletisers etc.

The Skyfleet programme has improved working conditions for Decathlon warehouse teams. For example, at the Northampton (UK) site, a picker would walk 10km per day, but within the new programme, they now walk just 1km per day. The number of workplace incidents related to order preparation has also sharply decreased, from one per 5.000 to 1 per 10.000.

The implementation has also enabled most Skyfleet sites to increase the number of Decathlon stores they supply. This is the case, for example, in Ferrières (France), now supplying 73 stores vs 37 previously, and in Setúbal (Portugal), which now supplies 73 stores vs 41 previously.

The number of orders prepared daily has also increased significantly. The Setúbal site now prepares 114,000 orders per day, compared with 57,000 before Skyfleet’s implementation.

Standardisation has also streamlined operations and long-term maintenance. While each site remains locally managed, Decathlon has introduced harmonised tools and dashboards, enabling teams to compare performance, share best practices, and optimise operations across warehouses.

Each system is designed to adapt to evolving customer needs and support volume surges. For example, robots have been temporarily transferred between warehouses to support peak activity in specific countries. Additionally, the Ferrières site has already ordered 13 additional robots.

“We were looking for a partner to support our logistics network rationalisation project. We chose Exotec because they were able to deploy multiple sites in a short time and integrate scalable solutions that evolve with our needs. In five years, we have profoundly transformed the workplace experience within our warehouses and written the next chapter of logistics at Decathlon,” says Jérôme Saillour, Head of Logistics Automation at Decathlon.

“When we launched our first Skypod robotic system nearly ten years ago, we brought more flexibility and resilience to storage and order preparation. As intralogistics has become a strategic priority for our clients, we now create value throughout the entire warehouse. With the Skyfleet programme, we have demonstrated our ability to orchestrate multi-site deployments,” says Romain Moulin, Co-founder and CEO at Exotec. 

2026 RTIH Innovation Awards

Supply chain automation will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.

The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.

Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.

Check out our 2025 winners here.

Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.

In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”

“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”

He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”

Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.