Alessandro Bennett interview: Pura Padel co-founder on shopping mall partnership and expansion plans

Since opening its first facility last August at Westfield Fashion Square, Pura Padel has become a key player in the Los Angeles padel scene, and its early success has led to a long-term extension with Westfield and plans to expand to other locations in the US. In this interview with Padel Business Magazine, Alessandro Bennett, Pura Padel co-founder and CEO, explains how padel complements the shopping mall experience and why working with local businesses and other padel clubs will help the sport thrive across the States.

Once Alessandro Bennett became obsessed with padel back in 2018, he began envisioning how to launch his own club that offers a great padel experience and an inviting social environment.

The entrepreneur has already founded five businesses and while living in Haiti and Miami he gained valuable insight into marketing, business operations and strategic planning, which led to the idea of Pura Padel.

When it launched last year, Pura Padel became the first padel club to open in a shopping mall in Los Angeles, sitting on the rooftop at Westfield Fashion Square in the city’s Sherman Oaks neighbourhood. Although it wasn’t the original plan, Bennett explains how the location works well for both the mall and Pura Padel.

“It was a great way to utilise the space”, he says. “There’s a lot of foot traffic there so it’s an easy sale. They already have all the stores and everything else inside, and that rooftop wasn’t utilised”.

Before Pura Padel opened, Los Angeles had only a handful of padel clubs. Bennett knew there would be demand for padel based on the city’s embrace of racquet sports.

The grand opening last August attracted over 400 people, surpassing all expectations. The three outdoor courts have remained packed ever since, largely due to the strategic location and offerings.

Pura Padel also features a workout and recovery area with rowing machines, weights, cold plunges, and a lounge area. It’s designed, Bennett says, not just for customers to play for an hour and leave, but to stay longer with friends.

Its early success has led to a long-term extension with Westfield and plans to expand to other locations.

How padel clubs complement shopping malls

Pura Padel’s partnership with Westfield follows the trend of shopping malls repurposing vacant spaces across the US.

Bennett explains that malls with traction and a good customer base are smart to adapt to the shift in how shopping malls are being utilised. Shopping malls had been on the decline for years, but a report from Coresight Research says top-tier malls like Westfield have had occupancy rates as high as 95% in recent times.

Offering space to non-retail businesses like padel clubs provides a more interactive mall experience for customers. Bennett believes it makes sense for both the mall and padel clubs.

“It's a concept you can multiply into different locations. So it's a good play to expand your business. Good for us, but also for them to make sure that all their malls are offering different types of services”.

Pura Padel integrates seamlessly into Westfield’s landscape. Its courts on the rooftop offer customers stunning views of Franklin Canyon Park while playing. They can shop before or after playing, or if at the mall with a spouse who doesn’t play padel, play while the spouse shops.

Creating valuable partnerships in the local community

In addition to partnerships with shopping malls, Pura Padel sees collaboration with local businesses as key to cementing its place in the community.

In December, Pura Padel partnered with a local organisation that offers a mixture of racquet sports. LVBL (Liveball Tennis) features matches in a ‘King of the Court’ format for fast-paced, lively games. Its focus is on tennis, but it also offers a mixture of racquet sports.

The event sold out at Pura Padel and all scheduled events until the end of January remain sold out. Bennett believes the partnership can succeed through focusing on how both organisations can benefit from the events, instead of competing against each other.

“We’re not trying to kill tennis at all, but we’re trying to have them also have fun in padel. Because you can play tennis two or three times a week, but you would also want to play padel two or three times a week to fill your week”.

Bennett also envisions the venue serving as a focal point for local businesses. Pura Padel would be ideal, he says, for companies hosting product launches and employee appreciation days. He describes how a ‘Padel Day’ at Pura Padel would provide a pleasant, welcoming space for any sized business. 

Building a flagship location in Miami

Although it plans to expand on the West Coast, Pura Padel’s flagship location is in progress in Miami. With the city widely viewed as the capital of padel in the US, Bennett had planned for it to be the home of the first Pura Padel club.

Miami’s robust padel landscape offers a natural match for a flagship location. The city helped launch the 2022 World Padel Tour, the former professional circuit featuring top pro players who played in Miami for five days. Premier Padel will debut in the US this year, selecting Miami as its first US site for the tournament in March.

In addition, RacquetX, an annual conference for all racquet sports, will be in Miami from March 22-24. It features prominent padel organisations alongside those involved in other racquet sports.

Bennett observes that Miami became a hub thanks to its proximity to the Latin world. With 69.1% of the population Latino and 54% foreign-born, padel found an easy path to the city from Latin Americans.

Most importantly, Miami’s padel clubs work together to increase the sport’s popularity. “It’s a very collaborative sector. You’re in a good space with all other club owners usually”, he explains.

“Everybody I know that owns a club, we always try to collaborate together. We always try to host just to get the community together because our goal is to get the most players and the most people involved”.

Warning to club operators and drawing inspiration

As padel grows at unprecedented rates in the US, Bennett warns that club operators shouldn’t focus exclusively on revenue and growth. He explains it’s vital to prioritise the padel experience.

Rapid growth can influence owners to invest in new clubs while looking to expand. Issues arise when the padel experience for customers is neglected in favour of higher profits.

Bennett emphasises that padel clubs must be aligned with the sport, which starts with the courts. If the courts aren’t optimised for play, the club won’t attract a decent and consistent level of padel customers.

For its flagship location, Pura Padel aims to draw inspiration from Bennett’s playing experience and some positive aspects that other clubs in the area are doing.

“We really took our time and my experience playing because I do play too. So it’s my experience as a customer first trying to get the best of all padel clubs that I go to. They all offer their own types of vibes and community and I try to gather the best things to put it into one”.

Dealing with permitting delays

Bennett expects to open Pura Padel’s Miami location this year, but the timing depends on how long it takes to secure the required permits.

“We’ve been working on it with the city and the permits and what we can do and what we can’t do and how to go about that. So it’s a very tedious back and forth”.

He believes navigating complex permitting procedures is the only minor threat to padel’s exponential growth in the US. Each city and state has their own process, which can add significant delays to expected construction timelines.

But Bennett isn’t too discouraged by extensive permitting delays. He’s seen massive growth in the number of courts since he’s been involved in padel.

Bennett estimates there were between 300-400 courts nationwide in 2018 when he got started and he expects somewhere between 1,000-1,500 courts by the end of 2025. 

According to Playtomic’s latest Global Padel Report, at the end of 2023, 100,000 people were playing padel in the US, with the number of courts reaching 454 that year, up from 180 in 2022 and just 30 in 2020.

Planning for the future of padel in the US

As for the future of padel in the US, Bennett sees younger generations embracing the sport more.

He believes tournaments and competitions among clubs can attract younger generations to padel. Once there are several professional players and prize money offered, kids will start to look to become professional padel players.

Bennett would also like to eventually start college academies. He says that by creating a space for students going to college to train, college kids who are good enough can pursue a path to becoming professionals while studying.

He emphasises that padel is a game that sells itself, and that its inherent social nature will spur growth in the US for years to come.

“It’s not hard to sell the sport. You just have to get on the court and you have to start playing. And if you’re a racquet sports fan in general, you will get the hang of it. I see a lot of momentum and it’s just been a straight arrow up”.

Not yet a PBM subscriber? Sign up here for exclusive weekly insights into the padel industry, delivered directly to your inbox