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2026: General Discussion

Hid said:
possibly Carpriolo could be cool filler addition
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I'm not sure that a fairground ride that seats just eight riders per cycle and features G-forces of 5+ would be a good fit for a major family theme park like Towers.
 
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Blackrock said:
If they ever were to sell it who would potentially be the best buyer?
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The only other multi-park operator who could do the park service is probably Compagnie des Alpes, but they're unlikely to have the appetite for a plurality of reasons.
Blackrock said:
And is there scope to purchase the freehold for the land itself?
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Everything's available for a price, it's just how much are you willing to pay for it?

If they were willing to sell the park, which I don't think they are, I actually think that they would struggle for a buyer. It's not that the park needs huge amounts of investment to get it up to scratch, it's in a relatively decent state and you could get it sparkling for relatively low CapEx... it's the operational problem.

Difficult to get to, built in the wrong place, lack of a local tourist market, lack of a local population able to reliably and consistently staff the park.

Essentially you'd have to have someone take it over as a passion project, someone willing to put the work in to solve the other endemic issues plaguing the park outside of ride hardware, and that's unlikely to happen. It's far easier just to build something from the ground up.
 
What Towers needs for everything to be at its best is basically a billionaire sugar daddy who wants to run it as a passion project and not worry about profits in the short/medium term (or ever). Whoever runs it has to deal with the upkeep of the gardens/house etc and it's a drain on the resources that these investment firms just don't want on their balance sheet at all.
 
BarryZola said:
What Towers needs for everything to be at its best is basically a billionaire sugar daddy who wants to run it as a passion project and not worry about profits in the short/medium term (or ever). Whoever runs it has to deal with the upkeep of the gardens/house etc and it's a drain on the resources that these investment firms just don't want on their balance sheet at all.
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I’m not sure on a sugar daddy.

It just needs people who care, not what they’re doing and it’s independent from Merlin.

In a perfect world for me I think the Efteling management team would be perfect. High quality, excellent maintenance, mix of shows and rides, understand how to create high quality magical “whimsy” attractions, can maintain high quality garden environments and run their own hotels and F&B successfully.

The idea that nobody can turn what was a previously successful theme park resort around despite it being top of the tree and with enormous further potential is for the birds. Alton has remained the underserved workhorse for the brand, arguably ruined by being part of the wider group.

There are successful examples in the UK and Europe. Even Drayton is turning itself around.

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This is highly corrosive in the long term:

Long queues.
Gorging fast track.
Terrible food.
Closed transport.
Multiple closed attractions.
Staggered opening times.
Bad crowd management.
Insufficient parking.
Low quality expensive accommodation.
Underutilised waterpark.
Poor resort offering.
Shoddy and flaking environment.
Poor attraction mix (child/family/thrill/shows).
MAP and RAP issues.
Challenging transport issues (public transport, roads and no rail)
Poorly maintained gardens and historical estate.
Badly managed staffing issues.
Event mismanagement and inconsistency (Christmas, Scarefest, Oktoberfest, Mardis Gras, Festival of Thrills)

That’s where I honestly think the park is. And I don’t like saying it. I hope beyond hope it gets turned around but without to the birds point, some fundamentals being fixed, the chance of Alton being what it should be which is the British answer to universal, it’s on a challenge. Despite that it can be a damn site better than what it is. Which its own history has shown. I’m afraid Merlin has cornered the market, drunk its own cool aid and now can’t see the wood for the trees.

I read an interesting article recently about varneys new venture and how seeing “rubbish and cobwebs in the wrong place” from a customer perspective still infuriated him. Which made me realise, and given the recent events with Alton management, just how incompetent at producing a successful product their current management team and operating structure are. They just can’t do it. They are incapable of resolving any of the things pointed out above, on an operational, management, strategic or group level.

They can not fix those problems. It’s a good metaphor for the country.

They can’t get or attract the right skilled people.
They can’t manage their contract with Aramark successfully.
They can’t lobby government or local government to get any transport improvements of note.
They can’t get rides open on time.
They can barely keep the toilets clean without needing guest feedback.
They can’t make a cocktail without it coming from a can.

And yet, despite all this, the place clings on. Despite the cancer inside of it. I’ve watched the slow degradation and shitification of it over the past 15-20 years, paying more and seeing less. Most recently summed up by avoiding the now eye watering cost of the fireworks VIP package, which had become my annual visit.

I appreciate it’s a repeated point, but I honestly cannot wait to visit Paultons again, despite being in my 30s with a partner and no kids. With us not being the target market in the slightest. Despite there being a negligible amount of rides. Despite adoring the Staffordshire moorlands and being only 30 minutes away, I’d rather go Rudyard lake, Peak Wildlife park or Paultons any day of the week over Alton now as I just cannot stand giving them my money. Yes we don’t have any sort of pass so I’m not in the Merlin ecosystem and I have no issues paying whatever on the day, so perhaps I look at it differently.

But that place HAS to get away from Merlin to change. And as much as I’d hate maybe a French/Spanish entity buying a British park with great history, who may not understand what makes this weird place in the woods so special, with its real history, legend and a place we have visitor for leisure as a country for over a century I don’t so another way.

I’d be intrigued to see someone from Disney, Universal, Europa Park come and look at Alton in a “Kitchen Nightmares” style fashion as it would be a real eye opener. There are levels to anything. And I’m afraid Merlin has run out of road and history relying on the titans that built the places 30/40 years ago. They’re gone and the clowns are in charge.

They need to get away from Merlin, away from MAP, away from private equity, away from not owning their land. The turnaround mission however is extensive.
 
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Thing is, it could quite easily be run as a solo park or part of a chain like CdA and make way more money whilst being a better park.
 
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