Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Chessington World of Adventures. What better places than those to lecture the kids on the flaws of the public markets — even if the nuances of financial ratios can get lost on a rollercoaster? Still, what a tale it is: how Merlin Entertainments, the owner of such dizzying days out, found itself so unloved by the stock market — what with its shares going up and down and up and down on the slightest news until everyone felt sick — that it had to get off the ride. Instead, it’s flogging itself for £4.77 billion, or £5.91 billion including debt, to a trio of less volatile owners: Kirkbi, the vehicle of the Kirk Kristiansen family that owns Lego; Merlin’s former owner…

Source: The Times June 28, 2019 23:03 UTC