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March
2010 - Acquisition of the Winter Gardens complex, Blackpool Tower & Circus
and Louis Tussud's Waxworks by Blackpool Council / New operators appointed
for Tower and Tussaud's
Council completed the purchase of Blackpool
Tower, the Winter Gardens and the Golden Mile Centre from Leisure Parcs
Limited.
Merlin Entertainments
(Merlin), has been appointed by Blackpool Council to manage the
redevelopment and operations of the iconic Blackpool Tower complex and Louis
Tussauds Waxworks. This is part of a ground breaking regeneration initiative
designed to bring the town back into the premier league of European holiday
centres.
Council Leader Peter Callow said. ”This is a fantastic deal for Blackpool
securing long-term investment in the resort, and is the culmination of
months of negotiations.
Sir Howard Bernstein, Chair of ReBlackpool, said: “This is a bold but
necessary initiative which provides the best possible platform for
strengthening the destination role of the town. I am confident that this
will result in a significant increase in jobs and visitor numbers and will
weld together all the other valuable projects and programmes which are
designed to make Blackpool an attractive place to live, visit and invest. "
Craig Hemmings, Director of Leisure Parcs said: “We are extremely proud of
our long association with Blackpool Tower, Winter Gardens, Louis Tussauds
and The Golden Mile Centre but we recognise that these popular assets are
part of Blackpool’s heritage. We have worked hard with Blackpool Council to
find a deal that would allow these iconic attractions to be owned by the
Town, and to be enjoyed by future generations”.
Crown Entertainment
Centres Limited will operate the Winter Gardens complex in partnership with
the Council.
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