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| Legoland owner Merlin Entertainments plans share float | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Merlin Entertainments, the company that owns Legoland, Madame Tussauds and Chessington World of Adventures, says it plans to issue shares to the public. | |
| Merlin operates 99 attractions in 22 countries, and has 54 million visitors to its parks a year. | Merlin operates 99 attractions in 22 countries, and has 54 million visitors to its parks a year. |
| It says it is the second-largest company of its kind in the world after Walt Disney. | It says it is the second-largest company of its kind in the world after Walt Disney. |
| Its other well-known attractions include Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Warwick Castle. | |
| It operates parks around the world, and has four Madame Tussauds sites in Beijing alone. | |
| The business has a turnover of £1bn a year and it thought to be worth some £3bn. | |
| The share offer is accessible to smaller shareholders with a minimum investment stake of £1,000, which also comes with a 30% discount on certain entry passes for Merlin's theme parks. | |
| The company's non-executive chairman, Sir John Sunderland, said: "I have been impressed by the significant growth that Merlin has delivered as a private company. | |
| "But there is more to come and I believe Merlin has a very promising future as a publicly listed company." |