Merlin Entertainments shareholders vote in favour of selling to LEGO owners

The deal for the LEGO Group’s owning family, the Kirk Kristiansens, to acquire Merlin Entertainments, was approved by shareholders today.

In June, it was announced that the Kirk Kristiansen family through KIRKBI A/S along with Blackstone and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board intended to buy Merlin Entertainments. While the family, who founded and own the LEGO Group, own 30% of Merlin Entertainments – the company that owns LEGOLAND – they intended to take it into private ownership with plans to invest in long-term growth. Now, shareholders have voted in favour of the sale.

“As the long-term owner of the LEGO brand and as a strategic shareholder in Merlin since 2005, we have great pride and passion for this amazing company, its management team and its employees. With a shared understanding of the business and its culture, we believe that this group of investors has the unique collective resources necessary to equip Merlin, including the LEGOLAND Parks and LEGOLAND Discovery Centres, for their next phase of growth,” said Søren Thorup Sørensen, Chief Executive Officer, KIRKBI A/S, when the plan was made public.

The deal is expected to be finalised by the end of the year, at which point Merlin Entertainments will be a private company.

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