Merlin Entertainments: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show
Merlin Attractions Operations Limited's person with significant control on the Companies House register is Charcoal Midco 1 Limited. It holds 75% or more of the company. In the year to December 2025 Merlin Attractions Operations Limited reported turnover of £550m.
- In the year to December 2025, Merlin Entertainments had turnover of £550m, down 5.6% on the year before.
- It made a pre-tax loss of £71m.
- Merlin Attractions Operations Limited runs a number of Merlin's UK attractions, including Alton Towers, Chessington, LEGOLAND Windsor, Thorpe Park, Warwick Castle, the London Eye and Madame Tussauds London, and its revenue arises solely in the UK; Merlin's attractions in other countries are in other companies in the group, whose parent is Motion JVco Limited (accounts to 27 December 2025, pp. 3 and 29).
- It employed an average of 6,446 people, with staff costs of £219m.
- Merlin Attractions Operations Limited is controlled by Charcoal Midco 1 Limited, according to the Companies House register.
- These figures are from Merlin Attractions Operations Limited's accounts for the year to December 2025, filed at Companies House on 6 October 2026.
- Registered name
- MERLIN ATTRACTIONS OPERATIONS LIMITED
- Company number
- 06272935
- Status
- Active
- Incorporated
- 7 June 2007
- Registered office area
- Bournemouth
- Industry code on the register
- 70100: Activities of head offices; management consultancy activities
- Accounts
- Single company accounts, this company only
- Accounts type
- Full accounts
- Latest accounts
- Year to December 2025, filed 6 October 2026
What does Merlin Entertainments do?
Merlin Entertainments runs visitor attractions, including LEGOLAND parks, Madame Tussauds, SEA LIFE aquariums, the London Eye, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures. It earns money from admission tickets and annual passes, plus spending on food, drink, merchandise and short breaks at its themed hotels. The business is based in Poole, Dorset, and is privately owned, with KIRKBI, the Lego family's investment company, among its shareholders.
In brief: visitor attractions · theme parks and aquariums · tickets and hotels · privately owned
Source: Spark Intel editorial, checked 24 September 2026. Official website: merlinentertainments.biz.
Who owns Merlin Entertainments?
The Companies House register records Charcoal Midco 1 Limited as the person with significant control of Merlin Attractions Operations Limited, company number 06272935. Charcoal Midco 1 Limited is itself company number 06125930. It holds 75% or more of the shares or voting rights. The control was notified on 6 April 2016.
That places Merlin Attractions Operations Limited inside a larger group. The accounts on this page are the company's own, not the wider group's.
The full ownership record is on the Companies House register. Control is given in the bands the register uses, not as exact shareholdings.
Who runs Merlin Entertainments?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for Merlin Attractions Operations Limited.
All 5 current officers
| Officer | Appointed |
|---|---|
| Matthew Paul Jowett | 26 February 2016 |
| Amy Bailey | 14 January 2025 |
| Amy Bailey | 14 January 2025 |
| Kevin Rock | 4 November 2025 |
| Eric Michael Vallis | 7 August 2026 |
Every current officer, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
What did Merlin Entertainments file?
Merlin Attractions Operations Limited reported turnover of £550m in the year to December 2025. That was down 5.6% on £583m the year before.
It reported 6,446 employees. The year before it reported 6,959.
It filed a pre-tax loss of £71m for the year, against a pre-tax loss of £33m the year before.
Staff costs came to £219m. That is an average of £34,000 a head.
| Measure | Dec 2025 | Dec 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £550m | £583m |
| Pre-tax profit | -£71m (filed) | -£33m (filed) |
| Employees | 6,446 | 6,959 |
| Staff costs | £219m | £207m |
| Average staff cost per head | £34,000 | £30,000 |
| Net assets | £246m | £324m |
| Interest paid | £93m | |
| Interest received | £1.4m | |
| Directors' pay | £3m |
What these figures cover: Merlin Attractions Operations Limited runs a number of Merlin's UK attractions, including Alton Towers, Chessington, LEGOLAND Windsor, Thorpe Park, Warwick Castle, the London Eye and Madame Tussauds London, and its revenue arises solely in the UK; Merlin's attractions in other countries are in other companies in the group, whose parent is Motion JVco Limited (accounts to 27 December 2025, pp. 3 and 29).
Read the accounts to December 2025 (PDF, Companies House) · every accounts filing
What do these figures mean? Turnover vs profit · Profit per £100 · Cash vs profit · Net assets
Are there any charges against Merlin Entertainments?
Merlin Attractions Operations Limited has registered 6 charges at Companies House, and all of them have since been satisfied. A charge is security a lender takes over a company's assets; one is satisfied when the lending behind it is repaid or released.
Each charge, with its holder and dates, is on the Companies House register.
Merlin Entertainments files as Merlin Attractions Operations Limited, whose person with significant control is Charcoal Midco 1 Limited, with turnover of £550m in its latest filed year.
Questions about Merlin Entertainments
What does Merlin Entertainments do?
Merlin Entertainments runs visitor attractions, including LEGOLAND parks, Madame Tussauds, SEA LIFE aquariums, the London Eye, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Chessington World of Adventures. It earns money from admission tickets and annual passes, plus spending on food, drink, merchandise and short breaks at its themed hotels. The business is based in Poole, Dorset, and is privately owned, with KIRKBI, the Lego family's investment company, among its shareholders.
Who owns Merlin Entertainments?
The Companies House register records Charcoal Midco 1 Limited as the person with significant control of Merlin Attractions Operations Limited. It holds 75% or more of the shares or voting rights.
How much does Merlin Entertainments make?
Merlin Attractions Operations Limited reported turnover of £550m in the year to December 2025. It filed a pre-tax loss of £71m.
How many people work at Merlin Entertainments?
Merlin Attractions Operations Limited reported 6,446 employees in the year to December 2025.
Who runs Merlin Entertainments?
The Companies House register lists 5 current officers for Merlin Attractions Operations Limited. The full list, with appointment dates, is on the Companies House register.
- Figures come from Merlin Attractions Operations Limited's filings at Companies House, company number 06272935, for the period shown at the top of the page.
- These are single company accounts: they cover this company alone, not any wider group.
- Pre-tax profit is the figure the company filed, for both years.
- A figure the filing does not disclose is shown as n/d. A zero in the filing is treated as not disclosed, never as nil.
- Rounding: below £0.1m in thousands, from £0.1m to £2m to one decimal place, from £2m to the nearest million.
- Ownership is shown in the control bands the register of people with significant control uses, not as exact shareholdings.
- Officers' names and appointment dates come from the Companies House register. Job titles come from the company's own website. The description of what the company does comes from its website, or is marked Spark Intel editorial where it is written from stable, checked facts, with the date either way.
Spark Intel, “Merlin Entertainments: who owns it, who runs it and what the accounts show”, updated 9 November 2026. https://www.spark-intel.co.uk/companies/merlin-entertainments/. Figures from Companies House filings for MERLIN ATTRACTIONS OPERATIONS LIMITED (06272935).
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