Merlin Entertainments Regulatory News (MERL)

Merlin Entertainments plc

Changes to the Executive Management team and creation of the New Openings Group

Merlin has a strong pipeline of new attractions, with seven new Midway Attractions planned for 2015 and 2016 and an aspiration to increase this to eight per annum from 2017. In addition, there are three new LEGOLAND Parks scheduled to open in the next three years. The increasing pace of new attraction roll-out, and any potential future acquisitions, will require an increasing focus from Senior Management. Therefore, Merlin is today announcing a reorganisation of the Executive team and the creation of a new team, the New Openings Group, to oversee the opening and integration of all new attractions across the Group. This new team will be headed by the Chief New Openings Officer, who will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer.

To facilitate this development, the following changes will be made to the Executive team:

- John Jakobsen will take on the new role of Chief New Openings Officer and assume responsibility for the LEGOLAND Developments and Midway Developments teams, following eight years as Managing Director - LEGOLAND Parks

- Hans Aksel Pedersen is being promoted from Senior Divisional Director - LEGOLAND Parks to take on the role of Managing Director - LEGOLAND Parks. Hans Aksel has been a key member of the LEGOLAND Parks senior leadership team since 2008.

- Nick Mackenzie will take on the role of Managing Director - Midway Attractions, following almost four years as Managing Director - Resort Theme Parks

- Justin Platt is being promoted from Marketing Director - Resort Theme Parks to take on the role of Managing Director - Resort Theme Parks.

All of the above roles report directly to the Chief Executive Officer. The changes will be effective from 15 June 2015.

Nick Varney, CEO, commented:

"Merlin has an accelerating pipeline of new openings as we continue to execute against our proven business model. To help deliver these ambitious roll-out plans, and support any potential future acquisitions, we are creating a dedicated New Openings team led by John Jakobsen as Chief New Openings Officer. This change has provided an opportunity to reorganise the executive team and promote two of our senior managers to the Executive Board.

"Merlin Magic Making, under the leadership of Mark Fisher, will continue to provide the creative leadership and project management for new attractions, with the New Openings Group providing the resource and expertise to launch new attractions and integrate them into the wider group.

"These changes underline our commitment to further growth and position the business for the next phase of expansion."

Contact details:

For further information please contact:

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Notes to Editors

The Executive Board as from 15 June 2015, will compromise:

Nick Varney, Chief Executive Officer

Andrew Carr, Chief Financial Officer

Mark Fisher, Chief Development Officer

John Jakobsen, Chief New Openings Officer

Nick Mackenzie, Managing Director - Midway Attractions

Hans Aksel Pedersen, Managing Director - LEGOLAND Parks

Justin Platt, Managing Director - Resort Theme Parks

Colin Armstrong, Group Legal Director

David Bridgford, Strategy Director

Tea Colaianni, Group HR Director

Mark Allsop, Chief Information Officer

MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS plc is the leading name in location based, family entertainment. Europe's Number 1 and the world's second-largest visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates over 100 attractions, 11 hotels and 4 holiday villages in 23 countries and across 4 continents. The company aims to deliver memorable and rewarding experiences to its more than 60 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands, and the commitment and passion of its circa 26,000 employees.

About our attractions:

Merlin operates two distinct products, managed in three Operating Groups.

Midway

'Midway' attractions are high quality, branded, indoor attractions, with a typical 1-2 hour dwell time, located in city centres or resorts. There are over 90 Midway attractions across 21 countries, with five main chainable brands: SEA LIFE, Madame Tussauds, The Eye (observation attractions), The Dungeons and LEGOLAND Discovery Centres. There is also new brand concept, 'Shrek's Adventure!', under development with DreamWorks Animation that is expected to open in Summer 2015 on London's iconic South Bank.

Theme Parks

Merlin's theme parks are larger multi-day outdoor destination venues, increasingly incorporating on-site themed accommodation. These are organised into two specific Operating Groups, based on the brands.

· LEGOLAND Parks - Six LEGO themed interactive theme parks appealing to younger families with children aged 2-12. The LEGOLAND Parks estate spans five countries across three continents, with plans already announced for further parks in Dubai (2016), Japan and South Korea (both 2017) .

· Resort Theme Parks - Six nationally recognised destination theme parks arranged around a central theme. The parks offering include Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures, Warwick Castle, Gardaland (Italy) and Heide Park (Northern Germany).