Merlin Entertainments Group

Merlin’s dose of fun shrugs off the gloom

Despite a worsening global economy, Merlin Entertainments, the world’s second biggest visitor attraction operator, has weathered the storm and grown.

Merlin’s world famous European brands include Legoland, Madame Tussauds, the London Eye, Sea Life, and Gardaland. Its unique mix of attractions appeals to millions of visitors of all ages with huge potential for further growth.

The group has already shown considerable growth in the last few years as its private equity backer Blackstone Group has invested in a series of acquisitions, including Italy’s premier theme park, Gardaland in 2006 and The Tussauds Group in 2007.

A strategy of making the right investments and prudent financial management have enabled Merlin to shrug off the consumer downturn and maximise latent potential in the business. Merlin’s strength has been based on its ability to boost visits to its attractions, which grew by 7.6m to 35million in 2008, up 28% on 2007.Globally it employs 13000 people in 12 countries across 3 continents – Europe, North America and Asia.

Merlin’s rapid growth was acknowledged when it was ranked first in the prestigious PricewaterhouseCoopers Profit Track 100, judged to be a definitive barometer of growth companies.