Merlin Entertainments, Europe’s largest and the world’s second-largest visitor attraction operator, has commenced operation of Cadbury World in Birmingham, U.K., following completion of an agreement that sees Merlin acquire the attraction’s operating and brand licenses.
Opened in 1990, Cadbury World is one of the West Midlands’ most popular attractions with 600,000+ people visiting every year. Visitors learn about the chocolate and heritage of the Cadbury brand through a range of interactive experiences, including a 4D Chocolate Adventure, a chocolate tasting zone and chocolate demonstrations with a team of in-house chocolatiers. The attraction is also home to the World’s Biggest Cadbury Shop and an on-site Cadbury Café.
The exclusive partnership between Merlin and Mondelēz International was announced last year, and 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 U.K.
The partnership forms part of Merlin’s strategy to engage in IP partnerships with some of the world’s most popular brands across its global estate, with existing partnerships including the LEGO Group, Sony Pictures Entertainment and HASBRO.
Fiona Eastwood, Chief Operating Officer for Midway Attractions and Resort Theme Parks at Merlin Entertainments, said: “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. 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 U.K. 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.
“We are excited to welcome the Cadbury World team into Merlin and work closely with them to accelerate the attraction’s momentum, entering the next stage in bringing Cadbury World’s iconic, immersive chocolatey experiences to life with an extra sprinkling of Merlin magic in the years to come.”
