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Merlin to run Blackpool Tower after £40m deal!

Ollie

Ollie

CF Legend
The Gazette said:
BLACKPOOL Tower and Winter Gardens were today sold to the resort in a £40m deal.
The iconic buildings – together with a host of other Golden Mile attractions – are now in public ownership for the first time in their illustrious history.

A combination of local and central government cash has been used to buy the resort's tourism crown jewels from Sir Trevor Hemmings' Leisure Parcs group.

And The Gazette can exclusively reveal Merlin Entertainments Group – operators of such landmark attractions as the London Eye and Legoland – will take over running the Tower from the end of this year's Illuminations season.

The deal will also see £5.5m immediately spent on revamping areas of the aging Winter Gardens, primarily to bring in more conferences.

Council Leader Peter Callow described today's news as a "massive boost for Blackpool" while Blackpool South MP Gordon Marsden said the landmark deal was a "major opportunity" to not only protect the resort's key assets but to see them prosper in the 21st century.

The deal – which totals £38.9m – was rubber stamped this morning by the Government's Department of Communities and Local Government.
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http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/black ... 6190295.jp

I think this is what's needed for the Tower certainly. It needs spicing up a bit to get visitors going again. Not been to the Winter Gardens so not sure what state that is in.
 
I wonder if it will give Trevor Hemmings enough to finally make a move on PBB itself? ;)

Not keen on the move, but the Tower was looking a bit tatty last time I went . Do Merlin already own the Blackpool Sealife, or is it an independent one?
 
Blackpool Sea Life is Merlin.

Interesting. I wonder if the AP will be valid at the Tower? I've never been up it, never seen the point.

This is actually pretty big news for Blackpool. If Merlin manage to generate more visitors to the town and subsequently Pleasure Beach, great. As much as I dislike Ms Thompson, more money in Pleasure Beach's coffers can only be a good thing considering the financial trouble they've been in recently.
 
There's something I dont get;

The iconic buildings – together with a host of other Golden Mile attractions – are now in public ownership for the first time in their illustrious history.
Click to expand...

A combination of local and central government cash has been used to buy the resort's tourism crown jewels from Sir Trevor Hemmings' Leisure Parcs group.
Click to expand...

And The Gazette can exclusively reveal Merlin Entertainments Group – operators of such landmark attractions as the London Eye and Legoland – will take over running the Tower from the end of this year's Illuminations season.
Click to expand...

So Merlin haven't actually bought anything? All they're doing is just running/managing the Tower?

Oliver, darling, your title is pretty misleading :p
 
They're running the "entertainment investment" bought by the council.

They're converting Louis Tussauds into a Madame Tussauds, adding a "Dungeon" to the Tower and a "4d experience" to the Tower Top.

http://www.eventmagazine.co.uk/News/Mos ... eneration/
and
http://liveinblackpool.co.uk/magazine/2 ... stination/

Imagine, Merlin could be bringing people into town, which would in effect also increase PBB footfall! :lol:

More here from the horses mouth:
http://www.merlinentertainments.biz/en/ ... tions.aspx
 
"The Evil Salty Donkey Curse!" Only at Blackpool's Dungeons!

Louis Tussauds getting redone as well? Lol... Merlin are certainly removing the competition :lol:
 
Let's see how desperately they try to flog this aspect when they hike the annual passes next season...
 
Louis Tussauds getting redone as well? Lol... Merlin are certainly removing the competition
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That place was embarrissingly bad, so it will be better. But where's the benefits of having basically the same place, but spending lots of money on it. The experience will still be the same.
 
Martyn B said:
Louis Tussauds getting redone as well? Lol... Merlin are certainly removing the competition
Click to expand...

That place was embarrassingly bad, so it will be better. But where's the benefits of having basically the same place, but spending lots of money on it. The experience will still be the same.
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My mum said it was so crap, she loved it! Worth the entrance fee for the comedy value alone!

This is good news. Despite visiting BPB for the last five or six years, I've never bothered with the Tower. If it's on the AP, then I'll do it. It can't have my money but it can have my being there as a statistic if it likes.
 
^ Well if the price goes up again, it will have your money :p

I too have never bothered with the Tower, I went up near there once, saw a load of chavs starting fights with people walking by, and others throwing chairs through McDonlad's windows, so I screamed and ran!

As I went back, I saw some oap lesbians getting it together in public, also had some 'ladies of the night' trying to sell me wristbands...

God I love Blackpool.
 
I went up the Blackpool tower about 3 years ago. They had cheaper tickets after a certain time. Most the stuff was shut inside including some dinosaur thing.
You could tell it's age by walking round it. It feels very dated an in need of updating.
Plus the glass floor up the tower was really dirty from everyone walking over it in dirty shoes and you couldn't see very clearly through it. Plus waiting for the lift to keep going up and down is boring.
Anything new or restorated in the tower is better than how it is now.
 
As per the last few posts, been to Blackpool loads of times, never bothered with the tower. Just looks so dull and uninspired.

Last time I went to Blackpool I ended up in 'Scotts karaoke bar,' one of the lowest establishments I have ever had the displeasure to drink in. :p

Good luck to Merlin, but struggle to see them make a return on this without huge council support.
 
I actually Merlin would do pretty well if they took over the Pleasure Beach. They have the money to restore the park and add decent new rides at least once every couple of years.
Plus it would stop Amanda ruining anymore parks. :p
 
I've been up a couple of times. The circus show was really good and the tower wasn't bad when it wasn't too windy and the upper decks were open too. It used to be quite good. *remembers the jungle gym and getting a carpet burn on her elbow*

A spruce up would be good. Never been to the Winter Gardens but my friend from Uni danced there a few weeks ago.
 
Oh yeah. That play area in the Tower is AMAZING. Spent as long as we could in there as adults are allowed in haha.
 
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