When opening a children’s playground, the venue is very important. A good location can bring considerable customer flow to the children’s playground and increase revenue.
Let’s be honest: being in a premium shopping mall is great for foot traffic, but the staggering rent and short-term leases often eat into your profit margins. At CJ Elite, we’ve helped clients launch successful parks in ‘unconventional’ spots that actually outperform mall locations in terms of pure ROI. Here’s where the smart money is moving.
Many people will say that the store should be located in a more prosperous location, but this is not the case. Children’s playground location is not just about large traffic, but also needs to fully consider the local consumption level, target customer traffic, convenient transportation, surrounding business environment, etc.
The location of a children’s playground should also follow the principles of being close to target users, having good transportation, and having a good environment. In addition to supermarkets, what other popular locations are there? Below, I will give you some suggestions for store location selection, hoping to help you!
| Location Type | Rent Level | Customer Loyalty | Design Advantage |
| Shopping Mall | High | Medium | High Footfall, Brand Visibility |
| Community Center | Low-Medium | Very High | Stable Weekday Traffic, Easy Access |
| Airport/Hubs | High | Low | Premium Pricing, Quick Turnover |
| Industrial Space | Very Low | High | Extreme Heights, Massive Slides |
Location 1: Blocks where similar stores gather
Because the target customers of this type of store and the children’s playground are the same, and similar stores are basically concentrated in a certain area or block, the target group is obvious.
For example, a certain area or block where similar stores such as maternal and child stores, children’s products stores, toy stores, and children’s clothing stores are relatively concentrated can effectively attract target customers to come and consume.
It is very advantageous to have similar stores around:
1) You can take advantage of these stores to increase the exposure of the park and get more high-quality customers.
2) You can organize activities with surrounding stores to increase the customer entry rate.
3) You can share consumers with similar stores around, and you can form a scale effect. If other stores hold activities, you can also get additional customers.
Location 2: High-End Residential Communities
One of the great advantages of opening a store in the area around the community is that the rent level is relatively low, which reduces the investment cost.
Typical case: The premier family-oriented commercial hub in Shenyang’s Hunnan District >>
The community is basically a fixed-family household, the population is relatively concentrated, the population density is high, there are many children nearby, and they are directly facing users. The frequency of parents bringing their children to visit is relatively high, and the business is good.
A stable living environment can bring some familiar customers to the children’s park, which is easy to encourage customers to apply for membership cards and establish a fixed customer base in the community. The sales volume tends to be more stable than in other areas, which can ensure that the park can quickly recover funds.
When considering opening a community store, there are three points worth noting:
1) It is best to choose a location in the center of several communities so that you can do business in several communities.
2) Before entering the community, you need to investigate the proportion of children in the community, the housing prices and location of the community, the consumption level of the families entering the community, etc.
3) The price should not be too high. High-cost performance is a great tool for the community children’s park to attract parents to apply for a card.
Location 3: Near kindergartens and primary schools
1170㎡ Custom Indoor Soft Play Center in Chengdu, China | Commercial Mall Project by CJ Elite >>>
Generally, children’s parks target children from preschool to primary school. If you choose a location near kindergartens and primary schools, the passenger flow can be imagined. After all, there will be a large number of children coming in and out every day. If you open a children’s park here, you can make the children’s extracurricular life more colorful and meet the needs of children.
Moreover, the target group is relatively clear, which helps to improve the conversion rate. After all, the main consumer group of children’s amusement parks is children. It is more appropriate to find a children’s park around kindergartens.
When opening a children’s playground near kindergartens and primary schools, in addition to having novel and fun equipment, it is important to focus on combining education with entertainment so that children can learn while playing. This will gain more recognition from parents.
Location 4: Airport & Transit Hubs
The Strategy: Monetizing “Distressed” Time
Airports are high-stress environments where parents are desperate for a way to burn off their children’s energy before a long flight. This is a captive market with almost zero competition.
The Reality: You aren’t just selling “play”—you are selling a moment of sanity to exhausted travelers. Because parents are in a “killing time” mindset, they are far less price-sensitive than they would be at a local neighborhood park.
Design Constraints: These spots are usually tight and have brutal fire-safety codes. You can’t just throw in standard foam. Everything needs to be high-grade, fire-retardant (FR) material. Compact, high-intensity “Challenge Walls” or digital interactive zones work best here because they have a small footprint but high throughput.
The Upside: Constant, 24/7 foot traffic. There is no “slow Tuesday” in an international terminal.
Indoor Children’s Playground Designer and Equipment Manufacturer >>>
Location 5: Luxury Hotels & Resorts
The Strategy: Turning an Amenity into a Booking Driver
Hotels used to treat “Kids’ Clubs” as an afterthought—usually a dark room with some crayons and a TV. That doesn’t cut it anymore. Modern “Staycation” families choose their hotel based on the playground.
The Reality: A high-end indoor playground allows a hotel to command a higher nightly rate (ADR). When the kids are safely occupied in a professionally designed zone, parents spend more at the hotel spa, bar, and restaurants.
Design Constraints: Aesthetics are everything. You have to ditch the “primary color” plastic look. We usually go with muted earth tones, macaron palettes, or “nature-themed” wood textures that blend into the hotel’s lobby or mezzanine design.
The Upside: You can run a dual-revenue model. It’s a free perk for hotel guests, but a paid “membership” or “day pass” destination for local families in the area.
Location 6: Repurposed Industrial Warehouses
The Strategy: Trading Foot Traffic for Vertical Freedom
This is the “Holy Grail” for serious playground operators. While malls cap your height at 4 or 5 meters, an old warehouse gives you 8 to 12 meters of clear-span space.
The Reality: Warehouse rent is often 1/3 the cost of a mall, but the scale allows you to build a “Destination Attraction.” People will drive 45 minutes to a warehouse park specifically for the 9-meter “Drop Slide” or the massive triple-layered ninja course that simply won’t fit in a shopping center.
Design Constraints: You’re dealing with a blank canvas. The challenge is HVAC (heating and cooling) and insulation. From a manufacturing side, we love these because we can go “vertical”—building massive, interconnected towers that create a massive “wow” factor on social media.
The Upside: Massive ROI. Low overhead + huge capacity + “destination” status = a very fast payback period.
Preguntas frecuentes
Q: Why should I consider a warehouse over a shopping mall?
A: Cost and Height. Warehouses typically offer 30-50% lower rent per square meter and double the ceiling height. This allows you to install gravity-defying attractions that become “destination landmarks,” drawing people from across the city, not just local mall shoppers.
Q: Is a community-based playground as profitable as a mall-based one?
A: Often, yes. While the “walk-in” traffic is lower, the conversion rate to memberships is much higher. You’re solving a daily problem for local parents, leading to a more stable, year-round revenue stream.
