A WAREHOUSE in Christchurch will be serving up something a little different as it is transformed into an indoor centre for racquet sports.
After buying unit 1-2 at Priory Industrial Park, Smeda Sports is aiming to open the facility in Airspeed Road this month.
Visitors to the centre will be able to play padel – a mix of tennis and squash usually played in doubles – and pickleball, which combines tennis, badminton and table tennis, and also usually played in doubles.
A padel tennis racket
Smeda Sports has signed a 10-year lease on the 15,418sqft premises, which includes ground and first-floor offices and 24 car parking spaces, as well as new panoramic padel courts and purpose-built acrylic pickleball courts.
Property consultancy Vail Williams acted for the owner of the property.
Smeda Sports, which sells products for pickleball, padel and sportswear and accessories, will be complementing activities with gym equipment tailored for pickleball and padel strength and conditioning, along with yoga and pilates sessions.
The warehouse is being turned into an indoor sporting centre
In a joint statement, the company’s directors Tania Smeda and Karen Smith said: “Following a significant investment in the warehouse lease and courts conversion, we look forward very much to introducing padel and pickleball to new players in Christchurch, young and old, and creating local employment.
“We are grateful to Vail Williams for serving up a great sporting venue for us here on the South Coast, with the location convenient for customers from the BCP conurbation and New Forest.”
Bryony Thompson, a Vail Williams partner, said: “We have seen a considerable increase in requirements for indoor padel centres in recent months and we are pleased to have been involved with Smeda Sports bringing these two popular racquet sports to Christchurch which will no doubt be incredibly successful.
“Padel is likely to appeal to the more athletically minded, while pickleball, using a paddle and a ball called a wiffle, is accessible for all skill levels and ages.”