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Paultons Park: General Discussion

Enter Valhalla said:
Merlin doesn’t have shareholders anymore does it? I thought that they sold it off and it became private back in 2019? Their business model doesn’t seem to have changed much since it’s days of being a public company, then again we have seen some investments with a little more substance since then.
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They aren’t a public company, but still have shareholders.

Namely:

Kirkbi (aka Lego)
Blackstone
Canada Pension Plan

They still need to give a return to those shareholders, but the short term pressure is no longer the same as it was when they were public.
 
Sam said:
Or is it perhaps that they don't want to, even if they could?

Our (broken) model of capitalism in this country, especially the idea of 'shareholder primacy', means that shareholder-owned companies like Merlin have to try and grow and aggressively expand their market, even if it makes little sense in the context. They'd be breaking the law if they didn't.

From what I can see Paultons is family-owned, so have the luxury of not having to do that. If I owned a family-focused park that was already making decent profits each year, I'm not sure I'd want the hassle of trying to compete with Thorpe for thrillseekers – especially if I worked there day in, day out!
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Honestly if I outright owned a park like Paultons that's likely what I'd want to do as well.
All the points I raised are aimed at anyone that wants to see Paultons add bigger rides (which I'll include myself in as it gives further justification to visit) but that doesn't make it the right direction to take.
 
Depends on the team they have. I'd certainly hope that they'd have a couple of PMs just to cover holidays if nothing else.

Plus can only manage the projects driven from higher ups. Looking at a Gantt Chart and meandering round the job site doesn't require too much effort in my experiences in a similar role.
 
Paulton's have some more ride parts on sale, including this restraint locking bar from Cobra;

Cobra_Lap_Lock_Bar_527x527.jpg

Cobra_Lap_Lock_Bar2_527x527.jpg


Never realised just how big they are!

shop.paultonspark.co.uk

Search: 36 results found for "ride parts"

Discover the official online merchandise shop of Paultons Park. Shop a wide range of souvenirs, clothing, and gifts, all featuring your favourite attractions. Get free shipping on orders over £50. Shop now and bring a piece of Paultons Park home with you!
shop.paultonspark.co.uk shop.paultonspark.co.uk
 
Love this idea. Reduce the cost of running the park, increase the amount available to spend on investment, staffing and upkeep.

Should be a national requirement for all new car parks really, eventually getting backdated to cover old ones.
 
zeock said:
That's very good news. More theme parks should do this.
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Makes you wonder why Merlin haven't done this with their parks when you realise that these help reduce running costs greatly...could really help them in the long term. Still, if Paultons proves it works then surely others will follow too.
 
Merlin's 2022 accounts included the below info, so it is on the cards, but nothing announced beyond that yet.
Merlin is committed to increasing on-site solar photovoltaic energy generation, and we are actively exploring the opportunity to have a combined solar photovoltaic of over 9MW across four of our resorts at LEGOLAND California, LEGOLAND Windsor, Gardaland and THORPE PARK.
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Good to see Paulton's are leading on this in the UK.
 
I visited Paulton's christmas event on Sunday. We had a nice day, although the event is nothing special. There is a relitavely limited amount of christmas decoration, and the park closes the moment it's getting dark (4.30pm). Most rides were open, and it was very quiet. The only areas closed off were Cobra/Edge/Magma and the log flume.

It wouldn't take much for the park to make more of an effort for the time of year - there was very little by way of entertainment or additional food/drink/retail on offer. Perhaps this explains why it was so quiet.

Certainly not a bad day at all - Paultons is always a pleasant day out, especially with the animals, but it's certainly got a way to go to really make a name for itself as a christmas destination. The main entrance had no christmas lights or anything!!!

Saying that, it's still got more attraction to visit than Alton Towers and Chessington for this time of year - mainly as the majority of the park is open.

Oddly, though, the event finishes just before christmas - and then the park is shut. Strange they don't remain open for the holidays...!
 
AstroDan said:
Most rides were open, and it was very quiet.
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Perhaps there isn't the demand?

I must say Paulton's Halloween efforts far exceed any of the Merlin parks imo so maybe they're testing the water in regards to Xmas. They also don't have much in terms of indoor facilities compared to the Merlin parks so it's a case of all or nothing in regards to the weather.
 
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