Legoland-owner Merlin shelves sale of Sea Life venues

The proprietor of Legoland and Madame Tussauds has abandoned plans to merchantability immoderate of its British aquariums aft failing to reel successful sufficiently charismatic bids.

Sky News has learnt that Merlin Entertainments has decided to telephone disconnected an auction of much than fractional a twelve Sea Life visitant attractions successful locations including Blackpool, Brighton, Loch Lomond and Scarborough.

Sources said that backstage equity firms specified arsenic Epiris and Platinum Equity had expressed an involvement successful the venues, but added that nary of the offers had been astatine a level which persuaded Merlin to prosecute a deal.

In a connection issued successful effect to an enquiry from Sky News, a Merlin spokesperson said: "Like immoderate well-run concern Merlin regularly reviews its estate, successful enactment with the company's semipermanent maturation strategy.

"We proceed to put successful our Sea Life aquariums, to guarantee they supply fantastic experiences for guests and animate a emotion for the water and its creatures."

One idiosyncratic adjacent to the group, which is the world's biggest taxable parkland relation and counts Chessington World of Adventures and Alton Towers among its prized British assets, said it would beryllium unfastened to considering compelling offers for the aquarium assets successful future.

Merlin owns much than 40 aquariums globally, galore of which commercialized nether the SEA LIFE brand.

In the UK, determination are 11 specified attractions, including successful London, Birmingham and Manchester.

One root said that Merlin had been unfastened to expanding the merchantability perimeter to see 1 oregon much of the SEA LIFE venues successful large English cities successful bid to entice much lucrative offers.

Merlin is jointly owned by the backstage equity elephantine Blackstone and the concern conveyance of the household down the Lego dynasty, having been a publically traded institution connected the London banal marketplace for respective years.