Merlin Entertainments has signed an MOU with Hongkong Land to seek out new opportunities in the rapidly evolving China market.
Merlin and Hongkong Land have already signed letters of intent to work together on a number of projects in Chongqing, including a Madame Tussauds; a SEA LIFE aquarium at Hongkong Land’s Landmark Riverside; as well as LEGOLAND Discovery Centre in Yorkville, Hongkong Land’s first wholly-owned mixed-use development in China.
The MOU represents a deepening of the strategic partnership between the two companies.
Merlin’s Chief Executive, Nick Varney, said, “Hongkong Land’s commitment to bringing the people of China a dynamic leisure and retail experience of global standards echos Merlin’s own strategy for the region. We believe that makes us Hongkong Land’s perfect partner. Merlin has a wealth of experience and expertise in creating and operating high quality attraction brands worldwide. We have already proven that the addition of our iconic brands to a retail development drives business, but we also believe that it will add a new dimension to the strategic development of the leisure and retail market in China.”
Image Top: Front Row: (left) Mr Raymond Wong, Head of Projects, China Residential Property of Hongkong Land, and (right) Mr Barry Cox, Director of New Business Development in Asia, Merlin Entertainments Plc.
Second row, right to left: Mr Kong Jian Tao, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of KWG Property Holding Limited; Mr Hugo Swire, Minister of State, Foreign & Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom; Lord James Sassoon, Director of Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited; and Mr Joe Kwok, President, China Residential Property of Hongkong Land.
