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đź”´ PRIVATE EQUITY OWNED
Merlin Entertainments
theme parks & attractions · Poole, UK
PE Firm
Kirkbi / Blackstone / CPPIB
Acquirer
Consortium (Kirkbi, Blackstone, CPPIB)
Year Acquired
2019
“LEGOLAND, Madame Tussauds, and the London Eye walk into a PE deal.”
The PE Playbook
- •Taken private in a $7.5 billion deal in 2019 by a consortium including Blackstone
- •Operates 140+ attractions in 25 countries including 11 LEGOLAND Resorts
- •Sold LEGO Discovery Centers back to LEGO Group for $269 million in 2025
- •The second-largest theme park operator in the world, now controlled by financial investors
Since the Acquisition
- ▸Implemented surge pricing across all top 20 attractions by end of 2024 — ticket prices fluctuate based on weather, day of week, and season
- ▸LEGOLAND ticket prices reached $119-$129 in the US — and dynamic pricing means these are floor prices that go higher on busy days
- â–¸Post-pandemic ticket prices across Merlin's European parks increased an average of 21%
- â–¸Class action lawsuit filed for refusing to refund customers for tickets to attractions that closed