The owner of Legoland and Alton Towers has started its operation of Cadbury World in Birmingham. Poole-headquartered Merlin Entertainments, which is Europe's largest theme park operator, agreed a 50-year deal for the West Midlands attraction last year. The agreement saw the Dorset-based company acquire Cadbury World's operating and brand licences.
It brings Cadbury World into Merlin’s large roster of UK attractions which also includes Madame Tussauds and Sea Life.
Cadbury World was opened in 1990 on the chocolate maker’s Bournville factory site and is now one of the West Midlands’ most popular attractions, with more than 600,000 people visiting every year. The attraction is home to the world’s biggest Cadbury shop and an on-site Cadbury café.
In 2010, the site was acquired as part of Kraft’s controversial takeover of Cadbury before the US behemoth was forced to spin-off its European snacking arm as Mondelez.
The partnership between Merlin and Mondelēz has seen Merlin Entertainments become responsible for the day-to-day running of the Cadbury World site, its employees and all operational decisions, as well as being licensed to use the Cadbury World brand in the UK.
According to Merlin, the partnership forms part of the company's strategy to engage in intellectual property (IP) partnerships with some of the world’s most popular brands across its global estate. The firm already has existing partnerships with the LEGO Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment and HASBRO.
Fiona Eastwood, chief operating officer for midway attractions and resort theme parks at Merlin Entertainments, said the company was "excited" to welcome the Cadbury team into Merlin - and accelerate the attraction's "momentum".
“Cadbury is one of the world’s most famous chocolate brands and we are thrilled to have its brand experience, the legendary Cadbury World, join our growing Merlin family," she said.
"This addition to our strong portfolio of brands is an evolution of our long-standing partnership with Cadbury across a range of experiential activities and retail spaces in our UK theme parks, and forms part of our ongoing strategy of partnering with household name IPs to create exciting immersive experiences for our guests around the world."
READ NEXT
HGV hydrogen refuelling stations to be built in South West following major deal
Dorset law firm named among UK's 'outstanding' places to work
Dorset seaside leisure hub plans approved despite hundreds of objections
Jaguar Land Rover hails 'strong demand' as it renews £1.45bn funding pot
