At the end of 2021, we had the chance to spend several days in a club padel not like the others : The Hangar, located in Alcobendas, north of Madrid, is in fact the heart of the Kuikma, the place where all snowshoes and products of the Decathlon brand dedicated to padel. At the invitation of Frederic Oudeville, the leader padel from Décathlon, we were able to meet the engineers and designers who, day after day, shape the best-selling brand in the world, in nearly 100 countries. We also interviewed Argentinian coach Horacio Álvarez Clementi, former world No. 1, who has greatly contributed to the development of Kuikma rackets.

Here is the first part of this report, where Fred Oudeville retraces his personal journey at Decathlon, as well as the Madrid genesis of the Kuikma brand and its worldwide development.

Fred Oudeville: 45 years old with a racket in hand

A bit like Obélix, Frédéric Oudeville fell from an early age into the pot: that of tennis, which he started at the age of 4, then that of padel, for a few years. “Tennis has been present in my life since my childhood. My father, who is Alsatian, lived near the Ill TC, in Strasbourg, where I trained. Today, he is president of TC Riedisheim, near Mulhouse, and still just as passionate. My mother, meanwhile, remarried Jean-Claude Massias, who was the National Technical Director of the FFT for nine years. So, I was immersed in tennis since I was little. I accompanied my father-in-law to tournaments. The Easter holidays were the tournaments in Nice and then Monte-Carlo… On Wednesdays and weekends, I went to Roland-Garros, my friends were the son of the guardian and that of the gardener. I went there in the morning, I left in the evening; we all knew the undergrounds. "

Frédéric Oudeville product manager padel at Decathlon

Tennis, a school of life

“For me, tennis has been a school, it has served as a balance throughout my life. When you are a teenager, it gives you confidence and then, it balances you when you are a student, it allows you to decompress and especially to have a group of friends. All my friends today are tennis buddies. It was also useful for my job: when I applied to Decathlon, in 1997, I was ranked 0. I was first assistant store manager, then I was recruited at Artengo because I 'had played tennis. I was also a tennis product manager. And today, it is because I have done racket sports that I am in charge of padel. I know the history of the different racket sports, the flagship brands of tennis, squash, badminton, padel... "

1996: Decathlon opens at padel

"Decathlon's first steps in the field of padel date from the mid-1990s. At the time, it was a demand of the Spanish market. The first snowshoes of padel designed by Decathlon were designed in 1996. Our know-how and our experience in this field are therefore old. "

“Personally, I discovered the padel in 2002. I had a friend who chaired the French Federation of padel around 1994 or 1995. So I knew this sport, which I have always adored. But at that time, in Lille, we could not play, for lack of land. At that time, and for a long time, the Spanish market represented 90% of product sales padel of Decathlon. Today, our sales have increased further in Spain, but they now only represent 50% of the total. And for good reason, the market has exploded elsewhere in Europe and in the world. "

After 2016: the explosion of padel

“In 2016, Decathlon estimated that in terms of padel, we were too generalist and too beginner oriented. We therefore decided to divide the racket sports to have lighter and more agile structures for each sport. Artengo was therefore "cut out": the padel became independent, with its own brand, Kuikma. Personally, I was chosen to be a product manager and "leader padel ". When I was asked, in 2016, where I saw the establishment of the brand, I replied that it could only be in Madrid. It was the first time, within Decathlon, that a sport left France. Many have told me that it was madness to be alone in the middle of the pampas, to make this bet to disconnect the design part, the engineers and the designers, from the Decathlon design center. Four years later, this bet has been won: in 2021, out of 80 sports, the padel is one of the three having made the most progress at Decathlon! ".

Kuikma PR990 Hybrid Soft Playful Pink

Spain, a fully mature market

“In 2016, more than 90% of our customers were located in Spain. There were already all types of players there. It's not like in France, where the typical player padel is a man from tennis, who is between 40 and 50 years old. Here the padel is an entry sport for other racket sports. In a club of padel Spanish, very few players have played or play tennis. The market in Spain is therefore mature and is such that we think other markets, such as France, will be ten years from now. "

The El Hangar club in Madrid which houses the Kuikma design center Photo J Arnoux

France from padel in 2030.

"In ten years, in France, there will be schools of padel for young people, more women, players in wheelchairs and a level which will considerably increase… The padel today is seen as an opportunity by the FFT and no longer as a threat. The involvement of the French Tennis Federation, which has very strong experience in teaching, will promote this development. I trust in Arnaud di Pasquale to go the right way. President Gilles Moreton also believes in it. It is a chance for the padel."

Sociability and friendliness, the strengths of padel

"If the development of padel is well conducted in France, it is a fabulous opportunity to bring the clubs to life, by bringing new players, an atmosphere, a social and friendly aspect. It was the strength of tennis, but it's almost gone now. If each club has only one or two courts of padel, we will reproduce the same errors as in tennis. One of the keys is going to be to get to make important poles to avoid breaking out of the practice. What makes the strength of padel, that's the social side. Having a bar or refreshment bar in a club is essential for the development of this sport. This is the case everywhere in Spain. "

Italy, Belgium, Sweden: the boom is launched 

“At Decathlon, we believe in France and we bet on it. There are countries like Italy, Belgium and Sweden where the boom of padel is more advanced, but the France should follow the same path. Then there are future giants which are Germany and Great Britain, and huge giants which are the United States and China. "

TO BE CONTINUED
Our next articles will take you behind the scenes of the “Kuikma test lab”, where the brand's engineers, designers and merchandising specialists work. And, icing on the cake, we are preparing an exclusive interview with Horacio Álvarez Clementi, who advised the brand on the development of its rackets.

After 40 years of tennis, Jérôme falls into the pot of padel in 2018. Since then, he thinks about it every morning while shaving… but never shaves pala in hand! Journalist in Alsace, he has no other ambition than to share his passion with you, whether you speak French, Italian, Spanish or English.

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