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Post Info TOPIC: HIG/Loopings - Park Owners


Exceptionally Expressive

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Date: 11:46 Dec 17, 2010
HIG/Loopings - Park Owners


Calling Peter Hadden LOL:

>>European theme park operator CDA Parks (part of the Compagnie des Alpes group) has announced its intention to sell Pleasurewood Hills.

The park, located near Lowestoft, Suffolk opened in 1982 and is home to three roller coasters including Wipeout, a Vekoma Boomerang.

The attraction is one of seven properties that CDA is in discussions to sell. The other properties include Bagatelle (France), Saint Malo Aquarium (France), Park and Aquarium Chateaux (Loire Valley, France), Le Bouveret water park (Switzerland) and  Avonturenpark Hellendoorn (Netherlands).

The affected properties attracted a combined total of 1.55 million visitors during the year 2009/2010.

CDA Parks has entered exclusive negotiations with HIG Capital France Bruloy. The parties agreed to conduct exclusive negotiations no later than January 31, 2011.<<

Taken from GForce Magazine.

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Lets be honest it hasn't really worked out - the CDA ownership - despite big talk when they first brought the place.

I'm off down the shop to buy a Euromillions tkt or two biggrin



-- Edited by Martyn on Thursday 24th of February 2011 06:22:42 PM



-- Edited by Martyn on Sunday 10th of April 2016 10:09:11 PM

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Exceptionally Expressive

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Date: 11:57 Dec 17, 2010
RE: BIG NEWS: Park for Sale (Again)


H.I.G. Capital is a leading global private investment firm with over $8.5 billion of capital under management. H.I.G.'s family of funds includes private equity, venture capital, distressed debt, real estate and public equities. We align ourselves with committed management teams and entrepreneurs and help build businesses of significant value. Our team of 200 investment professionals has substantial operating, consulting, technology and financial management experience, enabling us to contribute meaningfully to our portfolio companies. We invest in companies throughout the U.S. and Europe and have offices in Miami, Atlanta, Boston, New York, and San Francisco in the U.S., and affiliate offices in London, Hamburg and Paris in Europe.

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Plenty of money here then, HOPEFULLY should this go through, we may see some investment??????????????????????????????????????????????????????

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 16:28 Dec 17, 2010

This is guttering in a way.

With CdA in charge, and with how big they are, I always had this optimisum that they would come good one day!

:(

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 16:39 Dec 17, 2010

Whilst their 'new ride' list only made the big number of 2 in 4 years in charge, which is very poor, it was good having them concentrate on the smaller things.

But with a park as small as Pleasurewood, I think the ride lineup, and themeing of the rides comes first before the smaller things/attention to detail.

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Jolly Talkative

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Date: 19:14 Dec 17, 2010

wen u used to do business studies at school i was never v.good, so does this mean there will be no more pwh?  :(   unless it gets a new owner?

-- Edited by Reece on Friday 17th of December 2010 07:15:50 PM

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 20:14 Dec 17, 2010

no you wern't reece, also no, i think it means pleasurewood hills will be retained by cda untill they find a new owner

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Exceptionally Expressive

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Date: 20:21 Dec 17, 2010

^^CDA is in discussions with HIG Capital about selling PWH and 6 other attractions to them. At the moment it looks like CDA want rid of the parks as a package which may - or may not - prove to be a stumbling block.

They are in exclusive talks for the time being, meaning others cannot bid at the moment. If they cannot reach a deal, then they may try to sell the parks individually.

Either way, if they fail to sell PWH then i would really fear for the future, they are showing clear intent they no longer want the park.

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 20:32 Dec 17, 2010

^ On the other hand, if you cant sell your house what do you do? Improve it. So if they cant sell PWH, then chances are they may give it a go.

Also Pleasurewood would be the biggest of all them parks, so if all sold together, hopefully PWH would be they're priority! (though after CdA, I have no faith in any owners!lol)

One thing though, I am hoping they dont stop with all the small changes they made. After all, the park managment might not be directly connected to CdA, so they may keep the same management, with just different owners. Hopefully owners who like to dip into their pockets!lol

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Jolly Talkative

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Date: 21:15 Dec 17, 2010

goood, i was gunna say without pwh lowestoft would not b the same in sum ways as it plays an important ppart in the air show and i always go up there wiv family who lives away and they love it!

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 09:43 Dec 18, 2010

Some more info (Please take not of the promising last paragraph):

In keeping with the strategic plans announced at the end of 2008, Compagnie des Alpes intends to cede control of a group of leisure parks whose characteristics of size, activity, and geographic location no longer makes them a good fit within the Group's strategic objectives.

The envisaged deal would be for Compagnie des Alpes to sell its controlling stake in the following parks: Bagatelle park, the Aquarium at Saint Malo, the Mini Chateaux parks and Val de Loire Aquarium, the Bouveret waterpark in Switzerland, Avonturenpark Hellendoorn in the Netherlands and PleasureWood Hills in the United Kingdom. These parks welcomed 1.55 million visitors in fiscal year 2009-2010. They made €28.3 million in sales and €4.9 million of earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization over the same period.

Even though they have a strong regional presence and a loyal local clientele, these parks offer few synergies with the rest of CDA's parks, nor do they offer the opportunity to further the Group's strategic objectives, which aim firstly to develop its main brands and to integrate the parks more closely around shared ways to create value. The planned disposal thus meets a dual objective of strategic clarification and optimizing the Group's use of capital.

[bCompagnie des Alpes' preferred objective was to find a buyer having a significant expertise in this business sector, a serious and durable business plan, and the financial means needed to make the capital investments that will allow the parks in question to continue to grow vigorously, even though such expenditures were not a priority for CDA group.


That is very promising that last paragraph. Though slightly annoying in a way, as they've admitted that investment wasn't a priority, so why buy the park and say "We'll make it the Walibi World of the UK"?


-- Edited by Unofficial Pleasurewood on Saturday 18th of December 2010 12:12:35 PM

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Enigmatic Expert

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Date: 11:45 Dec 18, 2010

What are the chances of disneyland UK! I hope whoever gets the park invests in it and adds new rides.

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 11:59 Dec 19, 2010

i have been to batagelli martyn and it is about the same size or if not bigger than pleasurewood




^ On the other hand, if you cant sell your house what do you do? Improve it. So if they cant sell PWH, then chances are they may give it a go.

Also Pleasurewood would be the biggest of all them parks, so if all sold together, hopefully PWH would be they're priority! (though after CdA, I have no faith in any owners!lol)

One thing though, I am hoping they dont stop with all the small changes they made. After all, the park managment might not be directly connected to CdA, so they may keep the same management, with just different owners. Hopefully owners who like to dip into their pocket 



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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 18:19 Dec 19, 2010

I didn't necessarily mean biggest in size, but biggest in wealth. Wipeout is a different league to anything Bagatelle has. (Bagatelli, lol!)

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Posts: 1685
Date: 13:30 Dec 20, 2010

no need to lol, it the what i call it and there may be a couple of gooides at bagattelle and so i think the new owners could get some new rides in from other parks and from louden

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 15:53 Dec 20, 2010

It may be a bit too late for Loundoun, we'll have to wait and see.

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 15:54 Dec 20, 2010

That Space Shot from Loundoun is a MUST for Pleasurewood. A perfect attraction in everyway for little PWH.

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 17:41 Dec 20, 2010

that would be nice and we will have to wait and see

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 00:34 Dec 21, 2010

This is very big news but as Martyn says it is quite gutting. I was always very optimistic when CDA became the new owners and to be honest despite the lack of major investment since Wipeout the feel of the park has changed significantly under their management. The retheming and tidying up of the park has really improved the whole experience even though there is still a lot to be done. I would hope that any new owner would be willing to invest and put effort into the park on a similar scale to what we have seen from LWV or Flamingland of recent.

Pleasurewood Hills has so much potential and although it's geography is said to be a big factor in why it can never be as big as the UK's big boys such as TP or AT it certainly could do a lot better (and did do in its heyday!). New investment is a must.

Pleasurewood Hills needs something new and exciting - 2007 was great with Wipeout but let's be honest they can do better than 25 year old Boomerang with a pathetic throughput, manual restraint release and half the cars not working. PWH needs a new rollercoaster as it's next major investment, not a portable Schwarzkopf or the like but a permanent structure with height, speed and inversions and I still stand by the fact that a Eurofighter would be perfect. Crikey if you add up the age of all three of PWH's coasters it exceeds 75 years!!

Check out this small German park's investment for 2011:

http://forum.towerstimes.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=28310

Check out Sam's post of what this little park already offers - not a great deal and is certainly comparable to PWH, but the new Maure Sohne LSM is awesome for a park like this and exactly the kind of ride that PWH need. Anyway good luck to PWH and here's to the future of our little park!

-- Edited by Josh on Tuesday 21st of December 2010 12:37:56 AM

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 16:51 Dec 21, 2010

^ That Rapids ride looks brilliant, another perfect ride for Pleasurewood.

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Exceptionally Expressive

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Date: 17:37 Dec 21, 2010

WOW that Rapids ride is mighty fine, how awesome would a carbon copy look in the old dino area at PWH????

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Enigmatic Expert

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Date: 18:36 Dec 21, 2010

This bad news and comes at a bad time , just when the park was starting to raise it's profile with Wipeout.

Here's hoping someone decent comes along with some real experience and not some dodgy money grabbers!

I hate the merlin group but if they got hold of it they could really do some decent work to it, Gulliver Kingdom group wouldn't be a bad idea either!

It's a shame that a park that was once a contender is being let down, will it ever regain it's stride?

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Exceptionally Expressive

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Date: 19:41 Dec 21, 2010

livewireguy wrote:

It's a shame that a park that was once a contender is being let down, will it ever regain it's stride?






Its the thing that frustrates me most, PWH had over half a million guests in the early 90s, had some - at the time - top quality attractions which put it on a par at the time with most other parks.......

Since then, and i suspect its been the main issue, its had loads of owners, no continuity, no long term planning and has suffered badly, most of all between 1997 and 2000(?) when Queensborough Holdings completely destroyed the place. When CDA took over there appeared to be light at the end of this very long dark tunnel, but sadly no where near as much light as the new Rattlesnake tunnel!

Some say PWH suffers from its coastal location, but the Norfolk and Suffolk coastline has more caravans than anywhere else in the uk and therefore loads of holidaymakers to draw on as well as most of East Anglia. Thats actually quite a lot to draw on so if the park has the right investment, i reckon they could head towards a successful time again.

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 19:49 Dec 21, 2010

When CDA took over there appeared to be light at the end of this very long dark tunnel, but sadly no where near as much light as the new Rattlesnake tunnel!

Quote of the year!

Its the thing that frustrates me most, PWH had over half a million guests in the early 90s, had some - at the time - top quality attractions which put it on a par at the time with most other parks.......

The thing is, when the park was at its peak, it wasn't exactly competing with anywhere else 'theme park' wise. It didn't have any major rides, it was just a nice relaxing day out, with high quality attractions, and a lovely setting.

Eye in the Sky, Trioka, WaveSwinger, Enterprise, Carousel - All basic rides (nothing special at all), but they just looked so good at Pleasurewood. Add that to the nice calm atmosphere, the DIY BBQ's, Hungry Bears Pavillion.... It was a great day out, but I'm certain most people wouldn't have looked at it as a leading theme park?

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Exceptionally Expressive

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Date: 20:13 Dec 21, 2010

Yeah, thinking about it you're right. But as a kid it seemed special, you know! Also the excitment of a new addition most seasons was wonderful. Them be the days i want back LOL

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Enigmatic Expert

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Date: 20:18 Dec 21, 2010

It was a great day out, but I'm certain most people wouldn't have looked at it as a leading theme park?

No but it had status in the region. When i was at school it was THE place to go if you lived in the east. The rides had some sort of homegrown magic to them. During 1997 - 2000 the place began to change into something that could have been thrown together by a travelling fair! No Theming - it looked rundown and cheap - something Pleasurewood Hills has never looked.

I hope that whatever happens the park is able to keep striving towards that goal. It needs someone who will love it and love the industry not just the business.





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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 10:22 Jan 29, 2011

Well we're approaching the end of January now......

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Exceptionally Expressive

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Date: 19:42 Jan 29, 2011

Random Fact:

Did you know, that of all of CDA's parks Pleasurewood Hills had the SECOND highest number of ONLINE ticket sales? Park Asterix number one of course. Hopefully any potential buyer will be aware of this, and make PWH their flagship park!

On that note, if this sale goes through do you reckon the new owners will bring something in quickly, or give it season to way things up?

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Passionate about Pleasurewood

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Date: 11:01 Jan 30, 2011

^ If they bring something in quickly, it would most probably be a fairground ride, so I for one hope not.

And how the hell did you find out that very random fact?lol

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Exceptionally Expressive

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Date: 18:07 Jan 30, 2011

Kiss Marketing who design the website etc for PWH has a piece about their work on their website......

I was in the middle of a desperate search for news of 2011!

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Enigmatic Expert

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Date: 17:26 Jan 31, 2011

don't CDA own the Walibi parks. Surley they are bigger than pwh

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