The owner of attractions including Alton Towers, Legoland and Madame Tussauds is to take over Cadbury World in a 50-year deal.
Europe’s biggest theme park operator, Merlin Entertainments, which was taken private in a £6bn deal two years ago, is to acquire the operations and brand licences for the attraction at the chocolate-maker’s Bournville factory in the West Midlands.
The £6m attraction, which was opened in 1990 by John Major and is visited by more than 600,000 people annually, is controlled by Cadbury’s parent company, Mondelez International.
Kraft, which controversially acquired Cadbury for £12bn in 2010, subsequently created and spun off Mondelez, which is home to snack brands including Trident gum and Oreo.
Under the deal, Merlin, whose portfolio also includes the London Eye and The Bear Grylls Adventure, will take on Cadbury World’s 150 employees and hold brand rights usage in the UK.
“As we approach Cadbury’s 200th anniversary I’m really excited about this deal,” said Louise Stigant, the UK managing director at Mondelez International. “We want to build on the strong foundations we’ve laid so that people can continue to enjoy Cadbury World for generations to come. By working with Merlin Entertainments, we will be able to bring the history and heritage of the Cadbury brand and the joy of chocolate to more and more people.”
Merlin has plans to invest in developing the attraction, which includes the world’s biggest Cadbury shop and an “unmissable 4D chocolate adventure”, ahead of Cadbury’s bicentenary in 2024. Cadbury started in Birmingham in 1824 and moved manufacturing to Bournville in 1879.
“We have long-admired Cadbury as the nation’s favourite chocolate brand and have already successfully worked together across a range of experiential activities and retail spaces in our UK theme parks,” said Mark Fisher, the chief development officer at Merlin.
“We are now excited to continue the relationship and bring to life the sights, smells and fun experiences that chocolate lovers have come to love, but just with the additional helping of some Merlin magic.”
Merlin has intellectual property rights deals with brands including Lego, Bear Grylls, Disney’s Marvel and the BBC.
The theme park group, which was founded in 1999, operates more than 130 attractions, along with hotels and holiday villages, in 24 countries. In the UK, its businesses also include Chessington World of Adventures, Blackpool Tower and Dungeons attractions in London and other cities.
Merlin was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2013 but was taken private six years later in a £6bn buyout led by Kirkbi, the private investment company of the family that controls the Lego empire, which took a stake in Merlin in 2005.
