If its recent announcement is any indication, Picklr is looking to establish itself as the number one pickleball facility chain in the world.
Dynamic Indoor Franchise
As we have reported previously, The Picklr is one of North America’s most dynamic indoor pickleball franchises. It has announced it has sold 276 units to 36 unique direct franchising groups, which amounts to approximately 2,760 indoor courts!
Moreover, these franchising groups will be developing these units themselves over the next few years. In addition, 38 new clubs will open across the United States in 23 states, with 52 additional leases in final negotiations for openings in 2024 and 2025.
Jonathan Fornaci, President and COO, said, “We are so pleased with our Q1 results, and as we push into Q2, we look forward to opening new clubs around the country.”
At the beginning of 2024, The Picklr also announced a strategic partnership with Pickleball Inc., the parent company of the largest pickleball brands in the world, including the Carvana Professional Pickleball Association (PPA Tour), Pickleball Central, Pickleball Brackets/Pickleball Tournaments, PickleballTV, and Pickleball.com.
This partnership involves two of the largest brands in pickleball and will look to drive franchise growth and new memberships at Picklr locations.
Drew Brees
The company named Drew Brees as a brand ambassador earlier this year. He is also an investor and owner/area developer of 30 Picklr franchises in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan. Brees, Picklr franchise owners, and corporate leadership also appeared at Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas, where The Picklr was featured on Extra, discussing how important it is to bring more courts to pickleball players around the country.
As if that wasn’t enough, he then found time to appear in the latest Picklr TV commercial.
As the demand for indoor pickleball facilities continues to grow globally, The Picklr’s leadership is in final discussions to bring franchises to an additional three continents while also developing the game near corporate headquarters.
Final master franchise agreements will be announced in Q2 for Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the European Union. To support the rapid growth across multiple sectors, The Picklr has rejigged their Executive Leadership Team with the promotion of Kathryn Bullough from Senior Vice President of Marketing to Chief Marketing Officer and Chris Walker from VP of Real Estate to Chief Development Office, as well as Madison Walker from Director of Human Resources to VP of People. With these promotions, 50% of the Executive Leadership Team that supports franchisees are female.
Five Provisional Patents
As the game of pickleball continues to evolve, The Picklr has applied for five provisional patents and has trademarked The Picklr globally.
The Picklr will also partner with the Utah Black Diamonds team to operate the first-ever home facility for a professional pickleball team, named the Utah Black Diamonds Pickleball Center, outside of Salt Lake City, Utah.
“A Significant Quarter”
Fornaci added, “Q1 was a significant quarter, with the franchisees delivering strong EBITDA results, an average of 38%, along with rapid 62% membership growth, with the annual churn rate of less than 12%. These key metrics drive the success of our franchisees.
“All Picklr’s open with a minimum of 250 founder memberships, but year to date, the new clubs are opening in the 500-600 range, which makes the clubs’ cash flow positive from day one. The Picklr provides outstanding operations and marketing support for all franchisees to ensure the financial success of existing and all new clubs.
“We are so pleased with our Q1 results, and as we push into Q2, we look forward to opening new clubs around the country.”
Follow The Picklr on Instagram, X, LinkedIn, Facebook, and TikTok for news on locations and contests, or visit their website to learn more about owning a franchise.
