Sports store announces it will close 5 of its Ontario retail locations

Another retailer is set to shut its doors in Canada, as French sports brand Decathlon announced the closure of five of its Ontario stores. 

The sports store announced on its website that it would be closing its locations in Brampton, Burlington, Markham, Scarborough and Vaughan.

The move comes in an attempt to evolve the brand's "retail strategy" in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the company's site said.

"We are staying agile in our retail strategy, considering our options for quicker, more efficient service that meet our customers where they are with the products they love," they said.

"This includes our recently launched same-day shipping service, where products leave our warehouse the day customers in select regions place online orders."

Decathlon said it would continue to serve affected customers through its website and 15 other locations across the country, including remaining stores in Ontario, Alberta, Nova Scotia, Quebec and British Columbia. 

Decathlon's store in Ottawa will remain open. 

The announcement comes after a challenging year in Canadian retail, marked by the closures of Hudson's Bay Co. and Frank and Oak. 

In the future, the store said it will consider a return to brick-and-mortar stores with a smaller footprint in the GTA.

Decathlon was founded in France in 1976 as a retailer of affordable sports equipment. It has opened 1,700 stores worldwide since.