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Walygator : Past and Future

Pedro

TS Team
Favourite Ride
Expedition Ge Force
The french paper Le républicain Lorrain brings us very bad news from Walygator today.

Le républicain lorrain said:
Walygator: des salariés attaquent
Confrontés aux difficultés de trésorerie du parc d’attractions Walygator, des salariés pas payés au mois de mai lancent des procédures au tribunal.

Avril, mai, même combat. Et juin ? Pas mieux. La tristesse du climat assombrit le quotidien du parc Walygator . Pas de soleil, pas de clients, ou si peu. Logique financière implacable. Ne tournons pas autour du pot : le centre de loisirs de Maizières-lès-Metz trinque depuis son ouverture officielle, fin mars.
En mai, déjà, des salariés tiraient la sonnette d’alarme. Ils venaient à peine de reprendre leur bâton de saisonnier à temps partiel que déjà les premiers versements de salaires connaissaient des ratés. Ce ne sont pourtant pas de gros montants mais l’activité était malgré tout trop molle pour que les patrons puissent assumer, selon la version officielle. « On fait 25 % de chiffre d’affaires en moins par rapport à l’an dernier », indiquait le 20 mai, dans nos colonnes, Didier Le Douarin, propriétaire des lieux avec son frère.
Les versements des salaires d’avril ont finalement été délivrés, de quoi calmer les attentes légitimes de 150 petites mains. Mais patatras, voilà que d’autres salariés attendent cette fois leur dû du mois de mai ! Ceux-là ont même décidé de solliciter l’aide de la CGT et d’un avocat pour obliger la direction de Walygator à payer.
« L’an dernier, il y avait déjà eu des difficultés. Cette fois, certains salariés, pas tous, parce qu’un grand nombre craignent pour leur emploi, veulent aller au tribunal », prévient M e Bernard Petit. Quatre procédures en référés doivent être déposées ce matin au conseil des prud’hommes de Metz. « Et je vais alerter le procureur de la République pour qu’il surveille les comptes du parc. »

« On est dans la m… »

En attendant le renvoi de l’affaire devant le juge des référés, qui interviendra dans les quinze prochains jours, la situation devient critique pour certains membres du personnel. Le cas de ce père de famille est symptomatique : « Sans fiche de salaire, je ne touche pas mon complément Assedic. C’est un manque à gagner de 300 € environ. Les difficultés financières s’amoncellent, les agios, le retard de paiement de crédit. On est vraiment dans la m… » Cette salariée, qui a un contrat de 446 heures à l’année, attend encore un peu avant de lancer une procédure judiciaire. Mais pas trop. « J’espère encore que le beau temps fera repartir l’activité mais ça devient limite. Cela fait deux ans qu’on connaît ces difficultés. A la fin de mon contrat en novembre, je pense que j’arrêterai ma collaboration avec Walygator. »
Didier Le Douarin est resté injoignable, hier.

To make it very easy : The staff from Walygator asn't been paid since April, and some of them are taking the park to the court...
It confirms that the park really has no money left

Link to 2 article here, in french of course, use google translation:
http://www.republicain-lorrain.fr/moselle/2012/06/28/walygator-des-salaries-attaquent
http://www.republicain-lorrain.fr/moselle/2012/06/29/walygator-un-patron-calme-dans-la-tempete
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

Looks like I'll never get to ride Monster then :(
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

After reading properly, they have apparently been paid for April, but still not for May...
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

This park could do with Parques Reunidos taking over, there's some real potential there.
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

Sad. a poor park which happens to have one of Europes best coasters.

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Re: Walygator : The end is coming

Some news from walygator. And it is not good at all :
Walygator The park has been placed into receivership, after a lackluster year and weighed down by financial difficulties.

you can found some article in french here and here.
Here is a translation from google about the 1st one.

Park Walygator in Maizières-lès-Metz, is placed in receivership, said Frederique Drouin, head of communications at the park Most Online. It confirms information on France 3 Lorraine Wednesday. "But we continue to prepare for the 2013 season as planned. Indeed, we have worked a lot last season, with difficult weather bonus. We have now more than ever need the support of our visitors. "So next season will open March 29.

Taken by brothers Claude and Didier fairground Le Douarin in 2006, the theme park was replenished its coffers after experiencing long periods of difficulty. The Commercial Court of Metz "was validated on Wednesday asked the bankruptcy this morning. This is a management measure to safeguard the future of the park, "said communication.

Since the beginning of the season, the park knew indeed financial problems. Walygator had even seen its sales fall by 25% in one year. Employees had complained during the summer for unpaid wages. Since the takeover, the park received an average 480,000 visitors. At its opening in 1989, the park hosted 700,000 visitors expected against 1.8 million, putting the rival Disneyland and Parc Asterix bankrupt at the end of the third season. Walygator must now wait two deadlines: December 5, a hearing in the Commercial Division of the balance sheet, and January 23, 2013, the court's decision on whether to continue activities ...
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

Well there probably goes my chance of riding Monster :(
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

If every UK geek clubbed together.... think we could buy it and donate it to Lightwater?
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

It's a shame really as I really liked Monster but the rest of the park was a bit of a mess so its not a huge surprise :(
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

Why all the doom and gloom? They're still planning to reopen next year.... They're basically after new owners, and I think there's more chance of the park getting new owners than closing altogether.
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

Tbh, the park could still be really good. There are so many new park projects out there but it'd be a lot cheaper and easier to just do what Tussauds did with Alton Towers in the 90's and buy an established park to work from.
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

If the park does go under, hopefully Monster will go to a park more deserving of it. I don't think it will be scrapped. I can't see the chance of buying a cut-price massive B&M invert being passed up. It's very rare that any B&M is sold off, let alone one of this size.

I'm hoping it stays in Europe and if we're really lucky, it might end up in the UK. The problem is that most of the major UK parks already have an invert. The only potential places that spring to mind are Lightwater, Drayton and Oakwood and I'm not sure they're in the market for such a ride right now.

DiogoJ42 said:
If every UK geek clubbed together.... think we could buy it and donate it to Lightwater?

Why would we need to give it to lightwater? If we could afford the coaster, I'm sure we could put a bit aside for a plot of land...
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

I know it's off-topic but I've always loved the idea of a TST-operated park. When I win the lottery, you're all employed. ;)
 
Re: Re: Walygator : The end is coming

DiogoJ42 said:
Looks like I'll never get to ride Monster then :(

To think we drove right past the place in october, so close yet so far! ;)

Sent from my phone using Tapatalk, please excuse any ridiculous mistakes!
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

Monster will definitely go to another European park - it looks like a great coaster (despite the colour scheme) and it's the kind of ride that no park would want to turn down at a lower price.
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

I've just been looking at the park even more. In a way I really hope someone buys the place and completely turns it around. Benieth the rotting theming, and the layers of grime there's clearly a beautiful little park screaming to be let out :(

I'm having a hard time to imagine where might buy Monster though. I mean, the thing is huge! I can think of a lot of parks who either don't have the room, or wouldn't be able to get permission for something so big. Plus, don't think they'd get it that cheap. Walygator's damage needs to be undone, which will cost a fair sum. For starters the ride has no trims or brakes on the MCBR, as the park simply couldn't afford to put the back in apparently. Then there's the bodged electrical system which was done to try and save money, by things like removing the host controls and bypassing them. And after all that you'll still need to get your hands on the other two trains for it, which have apparently been sold!

I'm having a hard time thinking who can afford to, and who would be allowed to build it. I wouldn't be surprised if it went back off to some far flung corner of the world :(
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

This is one of those rare occasions when a Merlin buy out might be to everyone's favour. Do they have a French attraction yet?
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

They have a Sea Life Centre at Val d'Europe near DLRP, but that's it.
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

Monster was bought about 5millions Euro by Walygator. (The entire Oz'Iris project at parc astérix, included theming, was around 20 millions).
It isn't expensive for such a good ride, but as Ian say, it would need repairs before opening anywhere else.
But clearly the coaster deserves a better park, it is a amazing ride.
 
Re: Walygator : The end is coming

Plus it doesn't need it MCBR :p The speed you pull into those final few helixes is amazing, that's what makes Monster, Monster! If I won the euromillions I would buy the park and give it the tlc it needs, it is a great little park. I would love someone to really invest in it maybe start from scratch with a new rapids ride, remove the kids fairground rides, sort out monster, build a new woodie?
 
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