Explained: Why Picklr Invested Heavily In Japan, Not In Vietnam Or Malaysia

The Picklr, the world’s largest indoor pickleball franchise with a whopping 500 global locations and counting, has gone all out in Japan by pledging to install 20 pickleball facilities across the country. The new facilities will be completed over the next five years.

The first Picklr facility will be based in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The franchise also plans to lay out courts in locations like Kanagawa, Osaka, Aichi, Saitama, Chiba, Hyogo, Fukuoka, Hokkaido, Kyoto, Miyagi, Hiroshima, and Okinawa.

The Picklr's latest move is a big policy push with an ambition for international expansion. A year ago, pickleball in international markets like India, the UK, and Australia was seen as a hobby, with business prospects remaining low. But the regions have now fully blossomed into prosperous businesses, attracting international attention and investments.

The Picklr's co-founder and CEO, Jorge Barragan, reflected on their plan to set up facilities in Japan, as Asian pickleball has been recording exceptional growth. "Japan is a great launch pad for the Asian markets," Barragan said to Zane Navratil on PicklePod YouTube podcast.

The New York based pickleball company's Japan move came at a time when pickleball development was much more prominent in Vietnam and Malaysia. Yet, it is intriguing to find why Picklr invested heavily in Japan, a country where pickleball has yet to make as much progress as Vietnam and Malaysia.

Barragan said that Japan's racquet sports culture and existing tennis infrastructure appeal to them. He also attributed the progress in the project to Kenton Stehr, the CEO of Picklr Japan.

"I mean Kenton, for us, he was trying to achieve the things for us. Not only is he working to build the infrastructure of Picklr there, but he is also contributing to the overall growth of pickleball in general," said Barragan.

Asked about why Picklr did not choose Vietnam, a bustling pickleball hub in Asia, he said the market in Tokyo is primed for pickleball business. "I think Tokyo, that market is primed because there are a lot of tennis facilities right now. Racquet sports are huge in Japan. And then the culture behind wellness and community is significant. And so then you have got a guy like Kenton behind it and the expertise of the Picklr."

"We believe that we can catch up because of the infrastructure that is in place as far as Tokyo and the innovation that happens there. And then you have got a guy like Kenton that is going to lead the efforts there. I think the launch pad's going to be pretty significant. Yes, I have always kind of been somewhat surprised that Japan has not had the same sort of explosion as Vietnam. And I think it is primed to do it," added Barragan.