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Looping Group 'to buy 4 more UK theme parks'

Scott

Scott

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According to this BBC Look East report on Hobs Pit at Pleasurewood Hills, the parent company of the park are planning on buying 4 more UK theme parks in the future.

After ten years running at a loss, Pleasurewood turned its first profit in a decade last year and Looping Group are now apparently interested in expanding their UK portfolio... Over the last two years they have installed 8 new attractions at Pleasurewood, spending around £3m and increasing guest numbers so they clearly are willing to invest in small parks.

Their portfolio of current European parks is on their website: www.looping-group.com and includes various small parks across the continent.

France: Park Bagatelle, Aquarium of Saint Malo, Cobac Park, Park Mini-Châteaux, Grand Aquarium of Touraine
Switzerland: Aquaparc
Netherlands: Avonturenpark Hellendoorn
United Kingdom: Pleasurewood Hills
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Where do we think they'd go for here?
 
It can only mean good news, If they are willing to invest money and get parks profitable again then it is a good thing :)
 
Lightwater, Fantasy Island, Flambards, Paultons and Pleasure Island are the obvious candidates.

Maybe even Drayton, Mingoland or Oakwood at a stretch - is the Neverland development an attempt to add last-minute value before a sale...?

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Looking at their current portfolio of parks, I think they could be looking at

Lightwater
Oakwood
Pleasure Island
Twin Lakes
The Gullivers Parks
Wicksteed
Flambards

But they do own Isla Magica so they may be a bit more ambitious.

Personally, I hope they don't succeed, I'd prefer the UK to keep its independent parks. The last thing we need is another chain here run by an overseas company.
 
M&D's
LWV
Pleasure Island
Camelot

Why not go for the wild guess :p

My posts have that many mistakes in them?! Damn this Tapatalk milarky :)
 
It wouldn't surprise me if they tried to buy Flambards, as I believe it's currently on the market.

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I'd really like them to snap up Pleasure Island and Flamingo Land. Am I right in think both parks are owned by the same group/family? :)
 
LiamC said:
I'd really like them to snap up Pleasure Island and Flamingo Land. Am I right in think both parks are owned by the same group/family? :)
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Not any more. Flamingoland parted ways with Pleasure Island after several years of losses. I can't see why Flamingoland would want to sell. They're doing quite well financially at the moment.
 
Oakwood is already owned by a larger group, Aspro Group, so I think it would be unlikely that they were will to sell it. Would be nice for Aspro Group to buy some more parks, as increased competition can only be a good thing.

While this takeover, does sound good, in the principle that an annual pass for several theme parks is better value, I worry if they would lack the ambition to make a real threat to Merlin, the parks could end up in a worse state than they currently are.

Ian
 
CGM said:
LiamC said:
I'd really like them to snap up Pleasure Island and Flamingo Land. Am I right in think both parks are owned by the same group/family? :)
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Not any more. Flamingoland parted ways with Pleasure Island after several years of losses. I can't see why Flamingoland would want to sell. They're doing quite well financially at the moment.
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And ironically, Flamingoland finished off Pleasure Island during construction after the company building it went bust. The company at the time owned Pleasurewood - so things could go full circle!
 
Well I think we can rule out the Gullivers parks. Aren't the owners meant to be really well off? Can't see them giving the up soon.

As other Ian has said, Oakwood is already owned by Aspro, so I can't see that going anywhere now they've started investing more.

Personally, I think Lightwater, Pleasure Island, Flambards, and perhaps Flamingoland. They all seem closest inline with their existing portfolio of attractions, and the ones which might benefit best from a parent company like Looping.

Wether anything actually comes of this is of course another matter, but it would be interesting to see another new company enter into an area which only really Merlin has its hand in. Looping Annual Pass anyone? :p
 
Ian said:
Well I think we can rule out the Gullivers parks. Aren't the owners meant to be really well off?
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They must be, if they can afford to refuse entry to adults without a child with them. ::)
 
I hope they buy Alton, Chessie, and Thorpe Oakwood, Lightwater Valley and Brean Leisure Park
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Ian said:
Well I think we can rule out the Gullivers parks. Aren't the owners meant to be really well off?
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They must be, if they can afford to refuse entry to adults without a child with them. ::)
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I've never really understood peoples animosity towards that rule, it is a child and families based park after all :)
 
I think it's because it gives people the impression that the park thinks you'd be up to no good if you didn't visit with some form of child tagging along.


Anyway, whoever gets taken over, I hope it does them some good. If this new attraction at Pleasurewood is going down well and the owners give other smaller parks the opportunity to do more then I'm all up for it. Who owns them doesn't bother me, it's how a park is ran that does, and if the parks are improved and get better additions/more funding then that's fine.

I doubt Camelot can be saved at all now and there are plans to turn that place into another housing estate. Lightwater valley could benefit from extra funds so that they don't have to fill an entire shop with Angry Turds tat. If Flambards are up for sale then why not? And Pleasure Island sound like they're in serious trouble if they don't perform well this year, so buying them may secure their future (at least for a few more years).
 
Because it means us enthusiasts cant get several credits in our own country, just because the parks think anyone who doesn't have children is a kiddy-fiddler.
 
DiogoJ42 said:
Ian said:
Well I think we can rule out the Gullivers parks. Aren't the owners meant to be really well off?
Click to expand...

They must be, if they can afford to refuse entry to adults without a child with them. ::)
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They can probably afford it because adults visiting without children probably makes up about a ten-thousandth of their target audience...?

Given that the policy probably costs them about a fiver a week, they'd understandably happily pay that so they can offer their family guests the comfort of being in a purely family environment, just like many children's attractions do.

It's not about 'kiddy-fiddlers' at all, it'll simply be to stop local teenagers going their every now and then and causing trouble. The park probably don't even know what a 'credit' is, nevermind why anyone would bother collecting them. ::)
 
Can I just say, if you contact the Gullivers Parks before hand, they usually allow coaster enthusiasts in, providing you ride the coasters and then go.
 
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