Disney, Merlin, and Others May Bid on SeaWorld and Sister Parks

[KentB3]

Merlin fights Disney for SeaWorld

by Helia Ebrahimi
Mail on Sunday
August 10, 2008

Merlin Entertainments, which owns Madame Tussauds, Alton Towers, and the London Eye, will have to compete with the biggest theme park business in the world - Disney - in the race to take over the £1.5bn SeaWorld business in Florida.

SeaWorld and dozens of sister theme parks across America are being put up for sale by brewing giant InBev as part of its takeover of the US brewing group Anheuser-Busch. As well as Disney, UK-based Merlin, which is owned by private equity group Blackstone, will face rival bids from Spain's Parques Reunidos, owned by private equity firm Candover, and Gulf state conglomerate Dubai World.

Earlier this year, InBev agreed a £26bn bid for Anheuser-Busch, the world's biggest beer producer and maker of Budweiser.
That deal will not be finalised until November at the earliest, but InBev's bankers - JPMorgan and Lazards - are keen to see arranged disposals to help recoup some of the massive loans required for the takeover.
'We've been approached by several companies,' said one leading banker, 'but this deal will be based on who can bring the money to the table to fund the debt needed.'