Why one founder chose to stand for joy and turned a padel club into a destination brand.

Luke, founder of Home of Property Ltd, had already built and sold a successful Leeds-based business, so his next move carried real weight. Taking on the transformation of the long-abandoned Roundhouse into a city-centre padel club, he was entering a fast-growing and increasingly competitive market. A standard, category-led approach would not be enough to stand out. The challenge was to create a name, positioning and identity that captured the energy of the sport while balancing accessibility with aspiration. There was a clear ambition to build something culturally meaningful, not just functional. As Luke put it, “We knew we couldn’t keep competing on the same terms as everyone else” marking the shift towards a bold, differentiated brand.

We identified that the real challenge was not awareness, but how to stand apart in a category drifting towards sameness. While competitors leaned into either premium lifestyle or basic accessibility, this left a clear opportunity to own the experience of the game itself.

We recommended building more than a venue creating a distinctive name, positioning and identity rooted in what makes padel addictive: its immediacy, energy and social connection.

By anchoring the brand in “joy” as a strategic territory, we defined a clear role to hook players from their first serve and deliver a more emotionally engaging proposition.

The launch of Ollo shifted the business from a new entrant to a clearly differentiated brand with competitive advantage. Rather than competing on price or availability, it positioned itself as a destination built around experience and connection, creating stronger early interest and a clear platform for growth.