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Oakwood Discussion
- Thread starter Rob
- Start date
Steve74
TS Member
Exactly, and increase that to the number of employees that Towers/Merlin have and you begin to understand some the reasoning behind them making the cuts they have this coming season. I don't agree with the type of cuts they've made (ie entertainments) but I'd far rather that than be talking about Towers/other Merlin parks demises like we are with Oakwood here.
James
TS Founding Member
Megaphobia is a huge loss.
Got the laugh at the press release from Apsro, almost comes across as delusional. 'We have invested millions' 'Oh it is the government's fault'
Oakwood has been on a downward spiral for too long. As someone who has lived in Wales their whole life, and Oakwood was a park I visited frequently as a child, I will miss it.
Bluestone might buy the land, but it won't operate as a theme park again. For it to continue as a theme park, it either needs to go the way of LWV or needs £millions to gain interest again. I cannot see either happening.
Got the laugh at the press release from Apsro, almost comes across as delusional. 'We have invested millions' 'Oh it is the government's fault'
Oakwood has been on a downward spiral for too long. As someone who has lived in Wales their whole life, and Oakwood was a park I visited frequently as a child, I will miss it.
Bluestone might buy the land, but it won't operate as a theme park again. For it to continue as a theme park, it either needs to go the way of LWV or needs £millions to gain interest again. I cannot see either happening.
MaxPower
TS Member
Absolutely, £25m over nearly two decades is nothing considering the state it was in when they took over.
They did the absolute bare minimum to keep it open with the exception of the Megafobia refurb.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
On the topic of the NI/NMW rises and their relation to Oakwood; I think they’re the sort of thing that won’t be the sole reason for a park’s demise, but could very well be the fatal blow to an already struggling park.
Parks that are financially sound are unlikely to be killed off as a sole result of the NI/NMW rises. However, I think it is the sort of thing that could absolutely be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for an already struggling park like Oakwood, and I dare say others might follow. As much as I hate to say it, I think a lot of parks in this country outside of the Merlin cluster, aside from a few notable exceptions, have been surviving rather than thriving for quite some time now.
Parks that are financially sound are unlikely to be killed off as a sole result of the NI/NMW rises. However, I think it is the sort of thing that could absolutely be the straw that breaks the camel’s back for an already struggling park like Oakwood, and I dare say others might follow. As much as I hate to say it, I think a lot of parks in this country outside of the Merlin cluster, aside from a few notable exceptions, have been surviving rather than thriving for quite some time now.
flyingguitar
TS Member
Yeah, people are making it out like NI is the reason,
It has been on a downward spiral for quite a while, £100,000 per year in the grand scheme of things isn't that much, it probably is about the wage of 2 techs, there is a ton of expenditure required to run a park, in the grand scheme of things £100,000 isn't much, a wheel for a train could be thousands, it can easily cost tens of thousands to refurbish a train.
Those figures are from what I recall Ryan the ride mechanic saying
owenstreet7
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Taron
I don't think the NI increases are a reason why the park has closed either.
The park had minimal investment over the time Aspro owned the park with primarily secondhand rides coming in and was run on the bare minimum for years.
If the park was planned to open this year, it wouldn't have surprised me if Flambards rides came in as new rides.
I understand the one brand new ride (Dizzy Disk) they've bought in was from a less known manufacturer.
I'm surprised that none of the new rides even came from SBF Visa to be honest.
I think it's saying something that a park didn't get a Disko from Zamperla.
If the park has invested in quality rides as they did in the 90s, I'd say the path would've been vastly different.
QTXAdsy
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Black Hole
Now I think about it, Oakwood and Loudoun Castle seem to be similar in terms of being in a poor location that is hard to get to and that one tragic accident (Drench for Oakwood and the Mouse ride at Loudoun) would end up marking the beginning of the end for both parks.
That said, unlike Oakwood, Loudoun was actually starting to improve prior to closure with more themed attractions and did seem to have potential if fate had been kind to it which makes its closure more sadder that it didn't reach its potential...Oakwood in contrast did pretty much nothing other than the retracking of Megafobia which makes their demise not honestly a surprise.
That said, unlike Oakwood, Loudoun was actually starting to improve prior to closure with more themed attractions and did seem to have potential if fate had been kind to it which makes its closure more sadder that it didn't reach its potential...Oakwood in contrast did pretty much nothing other than the retracking of Megafobia which makes their demise not honestly a surprise.
flyingguitar
TS Member
This news is on the front page of the BBC for me:
www.bbc.com
Oakwood Theme Park: Pembrokeshire venue shuts down immediately
Oakwood Theme Park, which opened in 1987, employed up to 200 people.
www.bbc.com
Granted this story is in the Daily Mail today but does include some quotes from Oakwood and other park owners regarding the impact of the recent budget. Granted this isn’t the sole cause but in Oakwood case particularly coupled with low visitor numbers this may have been the final straw for the park:
“Owner Aspro Parks took a thinly-veiled dig at Rachel Reeves' Budget saying the 'unrelenting economic challenges' and the national insurance thresholds had affected the decision.
The firm said it had invested more than £25million since the park was saved from closure in 2008.”
A few comments from other parks too :
“Philip Miller, owner of Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, one of Britain's oldest theme parks, is facing financial pressure thanks to Reeves saying he will lose £600,000 in turnover and employ 200 fewer staff this year.”
“Britain's oldest theme park Wicksteed Park in Kettering last month warned it was under threat of closure with the owner blaming Labour's 'socialist' Budget.
Chairman Oliver Wicksteed said the much-loved park may cease to exist in its current form unless it manages to secure extra funding.
Operating costs such as fuel and insurance have soared in recent years, with Reeves' recent budget placing further strain on its stretched resources.
Mr Wicksteed, whose great-grandfather opened the park originally, told the Telegraph that Labour's 'socialist approach to raising money' could prove to be the final nail in the park's coffin.
Having previously endured financial struggles having collapsed into administration during the Covid pandemic, the park was forced to lay off 115 staff in the summer of 2020.
Another round of lay offs will now be required to help keep a lid on costs, the chairman added.“
www.dailymail.co.uk
Edit: and to quote the BBC news article quoted in the post above :
“Analysis - Huw Thomas, BBC Wales business correspondent
The owners of Oakwood are not alone in criticising the impending rise in national insurance contributions and an increase in the living wage.
While the public sector awaits news of possible mitigation against the NICs increase, the private sector has had to prepare for the change and to adjust their budgets accordingly.
Faced with post-pandemic cost increases affecting products and services, companies and their lobby groups have warned that jobs will be lost as these latest rises come into effect.”
“Owner Aspro Parks took a thinly-veiled dig at Rachel Reeves' Budget saying the 'unrelenting economic challenges' and the national insurance thresholds had affected the decision.
The firm said it had invested more than £25million since the park was saved from closure in 2008.”
A few comments from other parks too :
“Philip Miller, owner of Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, one of Britain's oldest theme parks, is facing financial pressure thanks to Reeves saying he will lose £600,000 in turnover and employ 200 fewer staff this year.”
“Britain's oldest theme park Wicksteed Park in Kettering last month warned it was under threat of closure with the owner blaming Labour's 'socialist' Budget.
Chairman Oliver Wicksteed said the much-loved park may cease to exist in its current form unless it manages to secure extra funding.
Operating costs such as fuel and insurance have soared in recent years, with Reeves' recent budget placing further strain on its stretched resources.
Mr Wicksteed, whose great-grandfather opened the park originally, told the Telegraph that Labour's 'socialist approach to raising money' could prove to be the final nail in the park's coffin.
Having previously endured financial struggles having collapsed into administration during the Covid pandemic, the park was forced to lay off 115 staff in the summer of 2020.
Another round of lay offs will now be required to help keep a lid on costs, the chairman added.“
Why some of UK's best-loved theme parks are shutting for good
Last night, Wales' largest theme park became the latest to fall by the wayside as bosses announced its sudden and immediate closure.
Edit: and to quote the BBC news article quoted in the post above :
“Analysis - Huw Thomas, BBC Wales business correspondent
The owners of Oakwood are not alone in criticising the impending rise in national insurance contributions and an increase in the living wage.
While the public sector awaits news of possible mitigation against the NICs increase, the private sector has had to prepare for the change and to adjust their budgets accordingly.
Faced with post-pandemic cost increases affecting products and services, companies and their lobby groups have warned that jobs will be lost as these latest rises come into effect.”
James Watkins
TS Member
I know the Stockvale Group covers more than just Adventure Island with things like the aquarium and a fish and chip restaurant, but 200 staff sounds like a lot. How big is his workforce?Granted this story is in the Daily Mail today but does include some quotes from Oakwood and other park owners regarding the impact of the recent budget. Granted this isn’t the sole cause but in Oakwood case particularly coupled with low visitor numbers this may have been the final straw for the park:
“Owner Aspro Parks took a thinly-veiled dig at Rachel Reeves' Budget saying the 'unrelenting economic challenges' and the national insurance thresholds had affected the decision.
The firm said it had invested more than £25million since the park was saved from closure in 2008.”
A few comments from other parks too :
“Philip Miller, owner of Adventure Island in Southend-on-Sea, one of Britain's oldest theme parks, is facing financial pressure thanks to Reeves saying he will lose £600,000 in turnover and employ 200 fewer staff this year.”
“Britain's oldest theme park Wicksteed Park in Kettering last month warned it was under threat of closure with the owner blaming Labour's 'socialist' Budget.
Chairman Oliver Wicksteed said the much-loved park may cease to exist in its current form unless it manages to secure extra funding.
Operating costs such as fuel and insurance have soared in recent years, with Reeves' recent budget placing further strain on its stretched resources.
Mr Wicksteed, whose great-grandfather opened the park originally, told the Telegraph that Labour's 'socialist approach to raising money' could prove to be the final nail in the park's coffin.
Having previously endured financial struggles having collapsed into administration during the Covid pandemic, the park was forced to lay off 115 staff in the summer of 2020.
Another round of lay offs will now be required to help keep a lid on costs, the chairman added.“
Why some of UK's best-loved theme parks are shutting for good
Last night, Wales' largest theme park became the latest to fall by the wayside as bosses announced its sudden and immediate closure.
Edit: and to quote the BBC news article quoted in the post above :
“Analysis - Huw Thomas, BBC Wales business correspondent
The owners of Oakwood are not alone in criticising the impending rise in national insurance contributions and an increase in the living wage.
While the public sector awaits news of possible mitigation against the NICs increase, the private sector has had to prepare for the change and to adjust their budgets accordingly.
Faced with post-pandemic cost increases affecting products and services, companies and their lobby groups have warned that jobs will be lost as these latest rises come into effect.”
DiogoJ42
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Metropolitan Line
Petitions are pointless. Online ones doubly so. Things don't happen just because us plebs want them to.
I feel like in a lot of industries people are using the NI rise as an excuse/shield to make the cuts they wanted to cut anyway, under the guise of "it's all the government's fault".
I think this, Flambards and others would all have closed down anyway but now they have a handy excuse to wave around.
pluk
TS Member
It's hard to find an adult in Southend that grew up here who hasn't worked for them at some point in their lives!
Alot of those businesses and especially independents have very slim profit margins. I don't know why people are making excuses for the government, the budget is giving retail hospitality and leisure businesses and absolute clobbering.
Oakwood was poorly run and clearly not making any money, any slight change would tip them over the edge.
Dave
TS Founding Member
Because I’m fed up of rich business owners and farmers moaning about non-issues.
Independent businesses and small businesses are exempt from the NI increase (indeed many of them will have lower NI bills than they currently do due to the rebate). My partners family have a small business with three separate shop fronts and they will be better off than they where so you have to be pretty sizeable for this change to impact you.
It’s not about defending the government, I am just sick to the back teeth of listening to rich people carp on about their woes when the main issue in the current economy is the wealth gap between the rich and poor.
Oakwood is closing because it’s badly managed, it’s not closing due to tax. There are countries around the world with far higher tax regimes than the UK that have functioning theme parks, as well as independent small businesses, the fact non-wealthy people on social media swallow the wealthy propaganda and are fighting the riches cause is just a depressing sight.