Merlin prepares stock float
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Merlin Entertainments, the firm behind Legoland, Alton Towers and Madame Tussauds is planning on going public.
The company, which is the second biggest attraction operator in the world behind Walt Disney, operates 99 attractions in 22 countries.
According to the BBC, Merlin has a turnover of around GBP1 billion a year and has been valued at around GBP3 billion.
The company intends to sell off a 20% stake to public investors, with a minimum investment of GBP1,000.
The company’s non-executive chairman, Sir John Sunderland, said: “I have been impressed by the significant growth that Merlin has delivered as a private company.
“But there is more to come and I believe Merlin has a very promising future as a publicly listed company.”
Shareholders will get a 30% discount to entry into attractions.
Nick Varney, chief executive officer of Merlin, added: “Merlin Entertainments comes to the market with a consistent record of strong growth in both revenues and profits and bright prospects for the future. We have successfully followed a clear and proven strategy to build a high-growth international family entertainment business, built on strong brands and a portfolio of attractions balanced by geographies, products and demographics. Our very strong trading performance so far this year, with revenues over 11% ahead of 2012, is a further reflection of this.
“Delivering memorable experiences to our millions of visitors is our passion and we see a world of opportunity ahead of us. Our experienced team has the ability and ambition to deliver on our plans, as we develop our existing businesses and roll out Merlin’s unique portfolio of leisure brands internationally. The IPO will provide Merlin with the platform for our next stage of development and allow us to plan for the longer term. As such we are very excited about this next chapter of our story, and look forward to creating value for our shareholders and more magic for our customers.”
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