By building Slazenger Padel clubs inside surplus retail and warehouse units rather than standalone leisure sites, Frasers Group is turning a property advantage into a participation-sports network, a route independent padel operators competing for real estate cannot easily match.
Slazenger Padel has opened its fourth UK club, converting a 35,000-square-foot unit at Haven Banks Retail Park in Exeter into a venue with nine padel courts and two pickleball courts as the brand advances plans for 10 clubs and 150 courts nationwide.
The site, which opened on Aug. 31, highlights a distinctive advantage behind the rollout: Slazenger Padel can draw on Frasers Group’s portfolio of large retail and warehouse properties to bring clubs to market in locations that already offer parking, accessibility and established visitor traffic.
The Exeter venue follows openings in Leeds, Swindon and Blackburn and reflects Frasers Group’s broader effort to expand beyond retail into sports participation and fitness. Alongside Everlast Gyms+, the padel concept gives the group another channel to engage consumers directly through owned sports facilities rather than solely through the sale of sporting goods.
The approach mirrors a broader trend across sporting goods retail, with retailers increasingly using courts and participation spaces to strengthen consumer engagement. Decathlon has converted temporary padel installations at UK stores into permanent facilities and has also invested in owned courts overseas.
According to Playtomic’s Global Padel Report, the number of padel clubs worldwide increased by 22 percent in 2024. For sporting goods retailers, the opportunity increasingly extends beyond selling equipment to operating the venues where the sport is played.
The Exeter club includes coaching programs, a members’ bar and cafe, a pro shop and equipment rental services. The venue also supports Frasers Group’s wider effort to reposition Slazenger as a contemporary sports brand. In July, the company appointed Alexei Hamblin as creative director as part of its broader brand revitalization strategy.
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