Merlin Entertainments has started running Birmingham’s Cadbury World after acquiring the operations and brand licences for the UK attraction from Mondelēz International.
Opened in 1990, Cadbury World is one of the most popular attractions in the West Midlands, welcoming more than 600,000 people every year.
“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,” said Fiona Eastwood, chief operating officer for Midway attractions and theme parks at Merlin.
Cadbury attraction joins Merlin family
Visitors explore the history of the Cadbury brand through interactive experiences. These include a chocolate tasting zone and chocolate demonstrations with a team of chocolatiers.
The attraction in the historic village of Bournville is also home to the 4D Chocolate Adventure, the world’s biggest Cadbury shop and the Cadbury Café.
Merlin is now responsible for running the site, and for its employees and operational decisions. It also holds brand usage rights for Cadbury World in the UK.
“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,” Eastwood added.
Cadbury World joins Merlin’s existing attractions in Birmingham and the Midlands, such as Alton Towers, Warwick Castle, the Bear Grylls Adventure, National Sea Life Centre and the Legoland Discovery Centre.
Merlin operates more than 140 attractions, 23 hotels and six holiday villages across 24 countries. Mondelēz International is one of the world’s largest snack companies with brands including Oreo, Milka and Toblerone .
The company will work to “accelerate the attraction’s momentum, entering the next stage in bringing Cadbury World’s iconic, immersive chocolatey experience to life with an extra sprinkling of Merlin magic”, Eastwood said.
Images: Merlin
