Merlin Entertainments has entered into a formal co-operation agreement with the Shanghai Jinshan District Government, CMC Inc. and KIRKBI to develop a Legoland Resort in the Jinshan District of Shanghai, China. This follows the signing of a framework agreement in November 2019, announced as part of the China International Import Expo.
Under the terms of the agreement, all parties will form a joint venture company and contribute funding to the construction and development of Legoland Shanghai. The total project investment is expected to be approximately $550 million. Construction of the project is planned to start next year, and the Resort is expected to open in 2024.
Legoland Shanghai will be one of the largest Legoland Resorts in the world and will incorporate a 250-room fully themed hotel on opening. World-leading creative, design and construction teams will work together to create an immersive theme park, drawing inspiration from famous scenic spots in Shanghai, Jinshan District and the town of Fengjing. It will be located in the Jinshan District in south west Shanghai with a two- hour catchment of 55 million people. The region comprising Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Anhui has an estimated population of 220 million.
China is a focus of significant development and investment by Merlin. Since the start of 2018, the Company has opened five new Midway attractions, including the world’s first Peppa Pig World of Play (Shanghai) and Little Big City (Beijing). The Lego Brand has also been established as the leading toy brand in China and has seen annual double-digit growth for more than a decade. With millions of LEGO Fans now in China, the basis is certainly established for Legoland® Shanghai.
The building of the Legoland Shanghai Resort is part of the Jinshan District’s ‘five-year plan’ for the area, which seeks to establish a new area of cultural and tourism development in this region of the Yangtze River Delta. It is envisaged that the construction of the resort will be accompanied by the establishment of other businesses in the vicinity including hotel accommodation, retail, sports facilities, offices and high-end housing.
