DHL Global Forwarding signed a deal with French sporting goods retailer Decathlon to provide comprehensive services to its international supply chain operations at a conference in HCM City on Tuesday.

The companies said DHL has run a dedicated control tower to provide a single point of contact in Việt Nam and Taiwan for Decathlon’s operations.

It also provides road freight solutions for the French company to transport goods from Viet Nam to Cambodia.

Marc Meier, SVP, DHL’s global head of international supply chain, said his company’s control tower oversees Decathlon’s shipments from Việt Nam and Taiwan to Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, Europe, India, Malaysia, Morocco, and Singapore.

At the conference, the companies spoke about what it takes to successfully operate a multinational supply chain, enabling Decathlon stores to stock over 22,400 items covering more than 85 different sports.

Global businesses that source from multiple locations and ship to numerous destinations face a particularly complex supply chain that demands greater visibility and control to optimise operations and reduce costs, the conference heard.

Thao Nguyen, head of procurement and logistics, Decathlon Vietnam, said: “While we ramp up on our offline and online presence for the convenience of our customers, we are working hard behind the scenes to make sure our manufacturing and logistics processes can efficiently cater to the demand of our discerning customers.”

In Việt Nam, the company launched a retail store each in Ha Noi and HCM City this year.

It has tie-ups with six business partners across Viet Nam.

"Today’s retailers require agile and innovative supply chains to cater to a new generation of customers who demand instant gratification and tap opportunities in emerging markets,” Archer Fu, VP, DHL’s head of business development, Asia Pacific, said. – VNS