About Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments is a Travel & Hospitality company based in Poole (United Kingdom) founded in 1999, and was acquired by Blackstone in June 2019. Branded visitor attractions and theme parks are operated globally. It operates in the Travel & Hospitality and Education sectors. Merlin Entertainments has completed 1 acquisition, including Global Aquariums. Its website merlinentertainments.biz draws about 88 thousand monthly visits. Merlin Entertainments offers products and services including Theme Park Experiences and Indoor Attractions. Its focus areas include Travel and Hospitality, Theme & Amusement Parks, Amusement Park and Edutainment.
Company details
Merlin Entertainments was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Poole, United Kingdom. Operations focus on the entertainment sector, where a portfolio of attractions is owned and managed, including indoor sites like SEA LIFE and Madame Tussauds, as well as theme parks such as LEGOLAND and Alton Towers. Partnerships with intellectual property holders are utilized to deliver varied experiences. Employee training and development are emphasized across diverse demographics.
- Headquarters Poole, United Kingdom
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsTravel & HospitalityEducation
- Website category Travel and Tourism · Tourist Attractions
- Email••••••••
- Phone•••• ••••
- Website merlinentertainments.biz
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook
- Acquired by Blackstone (Jun 2019)
- Legal Name Merlin Entertainments
- Latest Funding Round$1.15M (USD), Grant
Oct 2022
- InvestorsBlackstone
& 3 more
- Investments & Acquisitions
- Acquired byBlackstone
(Jun 2019)
Products & Services of Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Theme Park Experiences and Indoor Attractions.
Theme park experiences are offered through operations of parks like Alton Towers and LEGOLAND, focusing on visitor engagement
Indoor attractions such as SEA LIFE and Madame Tussauds are provided as branded venues for entertainment purposes
Apps and channels of Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments publishes 1 mobile app with over 100K+ downloads.
Funding Insights of Merlin Entertainments
- Total Rounds 4
- Last Round Grant — $1.15M
- First Round $19.9M
(Oct 2013)
- Investors Count 1
All 4 funding rounds of Merlin Entertainments with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2022 | $1.15M | Grant | – | – | |
| Oct 2019 | $2.8B | Debt – Conventional | – | – | – |
| May 2018 | $400M | Debt – Conventional | – | – | – |
| Oct 2013 | $19.9M | Unspecified | – | – | – |
4 investors in total: 4 institutional.
Investors in Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments has secured backing from 4 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Blackstone, CPP Investments and IFB Hamburg.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Diversified investment management is provided across multiple asset classes. | 1985 | blackstone.com | New York, United States | |
KIRKBI is engaged in building a better future for children. | kirkbi.com | Billund, Denmark | ||
News portal for private banking and investment sectors is operated. | 2013 | ifbhh.de | Hamburg, Germany | |
Pension fund assets are managed for sustainable long-term growth. | 1997 | cppinvestments.com | Toronto, Canada |
Investor details for Merlin Entertainments
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People of Merlin Entertainments
440 people are tracked at Merlin Entertainments (210 in leadership, 7 in board & advisors, 223 in team).
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Sarah Leather Fcicm Grad | Global Head Of O2c | Leadership |
Bryan Sanborn | Head Of Marketing - Large City Cluster Attractions | Leadership |
John Jakobsen | Chief Operating Officer, LEGOLAND Resorts Group | Leadership |
Emma Pankhurst | Senior Vice President Global People Business Partner | Leadership |
James Firth Fcca | Senior Finance Business Partner - London Eye | Leadership |
Sarah Foster | Executive Assistant To Chief People Officer | Leadership |
Shannen Emmett | Head Of People | Leadership |
Tiago Mogadouro | General Manager | Leadership |
Sacha Musgrove | Talent Acquisition Partner | Leadership |
Johnny Campbell | New Openings Director - Midway North America | Leadership |
Rex Yan | Head Of Operations New Opening ASIA | Leadership |
Gemma Wilson | Head Of People Partnering | Leadership |
Cassie Forshaw | European Marketing Director | Leadership |
James Cheetham | Marketing Director - UK Gateway Exc London | Leadership |
Rebecca MacCario | Head Of Product And Portfolio Office | Leadership |
Shan Wu | Senior Finance Business Partner - APAC | Leadership |
Paul Gould | General Manager | Leadership |
Stephanie Wilkinson | Head Of HR Operations | Leadership |
Tom Banyard | Senior Finance Business Partner | Leadership |
Graeme Johnson | Global Vp, Talent & Development | Leadership |
420 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Merlin Entertainments
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Investments & Acquisitions by Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 1 company. Notable acquisitions include Global Aquariums.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Entertainment aquarium services are provided to global clients. | globalaquariums.net | The Hague, Netherlands | 0 | Sep 2013 | •••• |
Complete acquisition details for Merlin Entertainments
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Timeline of Merlin Entertainments
6 dated milestones of Merlin Entertainments across 23 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Merlin Entertainments is founded.
- Acquisition Acquires Global Aquariums.
- Funding First funding round of $19.9M.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Exit Acquired by Blackstone.
- Funding Latest funding round, Grant, of $1.2M.
Web traffic of Merlin Entertainments
The website of Merlin Entertainments (merlinentertainments.biz) receives about 88K visits a month and ranks #479,915 among all websites worldwide, #531 in Tourist Attractions.
- Monthly visits88K
▲ 14% vs previous month
- Unique visitors36.8K
per month
- Global rank#479,915
among all websites
- Category rank#531
Travel and Tourism · Tourist Attractions
- Bounce rate45%
- Pages per visit1.9
- Average visit39 sec
- DevicesDesktop 29% · Mobile 71%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Merlin Entertainments. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| merlinannualpass.co.uk | 100% | #111,912 | View details | ||
legolanddiscoverycenter.cn | legolanddiscoverycenter.cn | 69% | – | ||
themeparx.com | themeparx.com | 69% | #463,879 | – | |
secure.merlinentertainmentsgroup.com | secure.merlinentertainmentsgroup.com | 66% | – | ||
| londoneye.com | 64% | #120,712 | View details | ||
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
| •••••••••• | ••••••.com | ••% | •.•M | #••••• | – |
All 25 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Merlin Entertainments
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Related news about Merlin Entertainments
Complete news archive for Merlin Entertainments
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Frequently Asked Questions about Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments was founded in 1999 and raised its 1st funding round 14 years after it was founded.
Merlin Entertainments is headquartered in Poole, United Kingdom. It is registered at Poole, England, United Kingdom.
Merlin Entertainments was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Poole, United Kingdom. Operations focus on the entertainment sector, where a portfolio of attractions is owned and managed, including indoor sites like SEA LIFE and Madame Tussauds, as well as theme parks such as LEGOLAND and Alton Towers. Partnerships with intellectual property holders are utilized to deliver varied experiences. Employee training and development are emphasized across diverse demographics.
Merlin Entertainments offers Theme Park Experiences and Indoor Attractions.
Merlin Entertainments has made 1 acquisition, including Global Aquariums.
Merlin Entertainments has 4 investors. Key investors include Blackstone, CPP Investments, IFB Hamburg, and KIRKBI.
Merlin Entertainments operates through Merlin Entertainments.
Yes. Merlin Entertainments was acquired by Blackstone in June 2019.
Yes. Merlin Entertainments publishes LEGOLAND® Deutschland Resort, with over 100,000 downloads.