Opening Manchester’s first indoor padel club is a project with huge familial significance for Pure Padel co-founder Sammy Arora.
The young entrepreneur has teamed up with business partner Fraser Higson to build a state-of-the-art, six-court, pay-and-play venue at 24 Dutton Street, Cheetham Hill, a 10 minute walk from the city’s AO Arena.
The new club brings life to a vacant warehouse that started out as a cash and carry built by Sammy’s grandfather in 1947 after he fled the Indian partition and migrated to north west England. Sammy – the son of B&M Bargains co-founder Bobby Arora – now cannot wait to re-purpose his grandfather’s former premises in the city his family made home over 70 years ago.
Sammy commented: “I’m excited to combine my entrepreneurialism and love of sport to introduce the first indoor padel club in the north west and I’m proud to be able to find such a modern and worthwhile use that means my grandfather’s hard work all those years ago will live on and benefit so many people today.
“Keeping the warehouse in the family has been something I really wanted to do as recognition for my grandfather’s sacrifices and stealth business acumen all those years ago. As the third generation of Aroras to take over, it’s both an exciting and challenging time. Embarking on my own entrepreneurial journey having such well known and successful predecessors is not without its pressures, but I’m grateful for their guidance and am looking forward to the challenge.”
Sammy and Fraser’s premium venue will offer six panoramic padel courts, a pro-padel shop, a bistro-style café and bar, fully equipped changing rooms with showers, plus a raised mezzanine viewing platform overlooking a show court. Free onsite parking and wifi will also be available to customers.
With accessibility at its core, matches will be on a ‘pay to play’ basis (no member fees) allowing players of all abilities to book and play via the Playtomic app from 7am til 10pm. The app enables first timer or solo players to find and play with others of a similar level and matches them accordingly for a fun and fair game.
Pure Padel opened its first club in Alderley Park in October 2023 which has since welcomed more than 4,000 players. Pure Padel has ambitious plans to build another 30 padel clubs in the next five years, with eight currently in planning and a further 15 in the pipeline. The Midlands and the South West of London are among the business’ target regions, as well as further expansion across its home county of Cheshire.
Sammy, 23, said: “We hope bringing indoor padel courts to Manchester will help make it even more accessible to those living and working close by. Currently, north Manchester residents are travelling as far as Huddersfield to play so we know there’s demand for more padel courts in the city centre that are reachable by car and public transport. Choosing a site so close to Victoria train station is a real asset – we hope it’ll help bring players into the city centre who will go on to spend on hospitality and shopping to further support the local economy.
“Manchester’s cold and wet climate makes our indoor proposition even more attractive to players who are looking to keep up padel year round. The unpredictable weather conditions really impact the game, so a club away from the elements ensures the best playing experience.”
He continued: “I’ve been lucky enough to have been playing padel since getting hooked on it in Milan, where I took it up as a student as it was the best way to meet new people in the city. It’s fantastic to see such a broad mix of people picking it up, from those who no longer play fast paced racket sports like squash and tennis, or those wishing to step away from work for exercise and to socialise – it’s clearly taken grip of the nation and we’re testament to the fact it’s here to stay.”
Since graduating from the University of Durham with a degree in International Business Management involving a year at the prestigious Bocconi business school (Milan) studying marketing and entrepreneurship, Sammy has interned at PepsiCo.
Sammy and business partner Fraser are backed by non-exec board members from retail, property, finance and law and have accumulated various sources of investment including Sammy’s father, Bobby Arora, who is one of the key investors.
