Blackstone readies Merlin Entertainments theme park group for IPO

The deal would reportedly value Merlin, which owns the London Eye and Madame Tussauds amongst other attractions, at £2bn (€2.17bn)

Merlin is the largest amusement park operator in Europe, and runs over 50 attractions including Chessington World of Adventures, Legoland, Alton Towers and Thorpe Park. Blackstone, which purchased the company in 2005, will remain as the group’s biggest majority shareholder, according to the report.

Earlier this month, Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman, speaking at a conference in Dubai, identified theme parks as an attractive investment target as the US economy recovers.

According to Reuters, Shwarzman said, “There's usually room in the theme parks business for efficiencies on the cost side and new investment, which drives traffic.

"And there's also a cyclical rebound which occurs when an economy goes from a severe recession to a more normal environment."

Blackstone, one of the world’s largest private equity firms, recently bought a portfolio of ten US amusement attractions, including Sea World and Busch Gardens, from Annheuser-Busch Inbev.

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