You can’t accuse Merlin Entertainments of lacking creativity. For the romantically inclined, there’s the £250 Sea Life London Aquarium wedding proposal package, complete with a personalised sign and a “small bottle of champagne”.
Or for families feeling festive, there’s a trip to Legoland in Windsor, complete with a visit to Santa’s grotto and a gift. That’ll be £35 each, please (yes, it’s the same price for your two-year-old or granny).
Since being floated on the stock market in 2013 by private equity houses Blackstone and CVC and Lego’s founding family, Merlin has marched into the FTSE 100 thanks to its growing line-up of attractions and punchy prices.
Lately, though, the Alton Towers-to-Madame Tussauds owner’s strategy has been tested. Its shares fell 16% in one day