The LEGO Group has completed its £0.2bn acquisition of 29 LEGO Discovery Centres and LEGOLAND Discovery Centres from Merlin Entertainments, bringing the global chain of indoor family attractions directly under brand ownership for the first time. The portfolio spans nine countries and welcomes around five million visitors a year, making the LEGO Discovery Centres network a significant new pillar in the company’s location‑based entertainment and retail strategy. As part of the LEGO Discovery Centres transaction, around 1,500 Merlin employees will transfer to the LEGO Group.
LEGO describes the LEGO Discovery Centres acquisition as a natural evolution of its efforts to control more guest touchpoints and deliver integrated play‑and‑shop experiences in high‑traffic urban locations. Each LEGO Discovery Centre combines interactive build zones, small‑scale rides, 4D cinema and branded retail, with formats tuned to short‑stay family visits and repeat local trips. The centres will now sit alongside LEGO’s global store estate, with new leadership focused on driving consistency, guest satisfaction and cross‑channel retail synergies.
For Merlin Entertainments, the LEGO Discovery Centres divestment sharpens its focus on destination‑scale LEGOLAND Resorts, which it will continue to develop and operate under long‑term licence from the LEGO Group. Merlin currently runs 11 resorts worldwide, including the recently opened LEGOLAND Shanghai, and has signalled an ambition to turn these properties into multi‑day, short‑break destinations. Both companies sit under KIRKBI ownership and stress that the LEGO Discovery Centres deal deepens, rather than dilutes, their strategic partnership, with LEGO concentrating on smaller indoor attractions and Merlin on large‑scale resort development.
For industry professionals, the LEGO Discovery Centres transaction is a notable example of IP owners reclaiming direct control of mid‑scale branded attractions, while specialist operators double down on destination assets. It also highlights continued confidence in experiential retail and compact indoor formats as key drivers of year‑round engagement with global toy and entertainment brands.
