Lego buys 29 discovery centres from Merlin in $270 million deal
Danish toymaker Lego will acquire 29 indoor discovery centres from theme park operator Merlin Entertainments in a £200 million ($269.5 million) deal, strengthening its control over how consumers experience the brand.
The centres, which feature Lego building zones, creative workshops, and retail outlets, attract around five million visitors each year, the companies said in a joint statement, News.Az reports, citing Reuters.
“They will be an important addition to our global network of retail stores and allow us to offer fans of all ages even more memorable hands-on brand and shopping experiences,” Lego CEO Niels Christiansen said.
The move follows Lego’s rapid expansion of its retail presence, which now includes 1,079 branded stores across 54 markets worldwide.
Merlin — operator of the Madame Tussauds wax museums and the London Eye observation wheel — will continue to run 11 Legoland theme parks globally under licence from Lego.
Of the discovery centres changing hands, 15 are in North America, seven in Europe, and another seven across Asia-Pacific, including China, Japan, and Australia.
Founded in Denmark in 1932, Lego takes its name from the Danish phrase “leg godt” — meaning “play well.”
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