Michel Leclercq founded Decathlon in 1976 and built it into one of the world's largest sporting-goods retailers, while benefiting from close ties to the Mulliez retail family that also controlled Auchan. [1][2]
He created Decathlon inside a powerful retail family network
Leclercq founded a small sporting-goods store in 1976, pursuing a multi-sport retail concept rather than simply taking over one of the established businesses controlled by his extended family. [1][2]
His starting point was still unusually advantaged: Leclercq is a first cousin of Auchan founder Gérard Mulliez, and Decathlon's first store was built in an Auchan parking lot in Englos, France. [1][2]
Fortune reports that Leclercq deliberately wanted an entrepreneurial career at arm's length from the family business, gathering six other sports enthusiasts to develop the new retail format. [2]
Private ownership let the retailer compound for decades
Decathlon grew from that first store into a vertically integrated global sports retailer with its own product development, private brands and thousands of locations, while remaining privately controlled. [1][2]
Leclercq and his immediate family still own roughly 40% of Decathlon, with another roughly 40% held by the extended Mulliez family, so his fortune reflects both the company he founded and a family ownership structure that remained economically important. [1]
Sources for background
Sources reviewed Sep 29, 2026.
- Michel Leclercq & family · Forbes · Mar 10, 2026
- How Decathlon quietly became the crown jewel of sports retail · Fortune · Jan 30, 2025
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