From virtual to reality: A VR company’s lease success story

Originally founded in Antwerp with the goal of shaping the future of interactive entertainment, The Park Playground specialises in offering immersive virtual reality (VR) experiences and offers a wide range of interactive games that are designed to be both fun and educational.

Since its launch in 2018, the Park Playground has experienced significant growth, becoming one of the largest providers of VR experiences in Europe. In 2022, The Park Playground launched an ambitious plan to establish a presence in the UK market, opening two state-of-the facilities in Birmingham and Leeds.

To support the UK launch, Florence Roosendaal, Head of Expansion and Projects, knew she needed a local commercial property lawyer to provide her with practical commercial property advice. Florence was unfamiliar with English property law, and she understood that having a local legal expert on her team would be essential to facilitate a smooth and successful launch. She turned to Harper James, a leading commercial property law firm in England and Wales, for help.

Kara Corbett, a commercial property solicitor at Harper James, advised The Park Playground on their first leasehold acquisition in Leeds and their second in Birmingham to facilitate their expansion into the UK market. Kara provided advice on the heads of terms, due diligence and transactional lease documents which included complex agreements for the lease as well as negotiating the leases and licences for works.

As a result of Kara's expert guidance, The Park Playground was able to secure the perfect premises for their UK expansion. Importantly, the leases were structured in a way that was favourable to The Park Playground, giving them the flexibility they needed to grow their business.

Like our other clients on the Enterprise subscription plan, The Park Playground benefits from one hour of legal advice per month with access to our complete range of business legal services at discounted hourly rates.

When asked what it was like to work with Kara, Florence says:

Kara has really become a part of our team. She has been meticulous in following up with the other side and is extremely proactive in reviewing our lease agreements. I liked that we were always working with Kara on every occasion, she understands our business goals and that was very important to us when seeking legal advice.

Commenting on working with Florence and The Park Playground, Kara says:

It was a pleasure working with Florence and exciting to play a role in The Park Playground UK Limited’s expansion into the UK. Both lease transactions were particularly complex with lots of issues specific to planning, fit out, repair, insurance and tax which must have been overwhelming to newcomers to the English property market. Florence and her team’s enthusiasm and focus to achieve these important milestones in their growth story was infectious, I felt fully embraced as a member of their team. The Park Playground offer thrilling virtual reality experiences and both premises look great! I can’t wait to visit and look forward to working with them as they continue to grow.

The Park Playground has a bright future ahead of them as they continue to expand throughout Europe. They have recently developed a new product, a VR health and safety training platform, The Park Safety Training, which provides a realistic and interactive experience to teach staff how to work safely in a typical industrial environment. Using virtual reality, workers can experience risky situations and learn how to handle them in real life to prevent potential workplace injuries.