Nick Varney
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Nicholas Varney (born 1962)Chris Blackhurs (10 March 2010

''London Evening Standard''. Retrieved 9 July 2013.
is a British businessman who was the chief executive officer of attractions operator
Merlin Entertainments Merlin Entertainments Limited is a British entertainment company based at Poole in Dorset, England. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange until November 2019, when it was acquired by a consortium that includes Kirkbi A/S (the investment a ...
. He rose to this position in 1998 after a background in marketing.


Biography

Varney attended the
London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...
before becoming a junior marketer in the mid-1980s, later progressing to senior roles. He has over 24 years experience in the visitor attractions industry and was appointed chief executive officer of Merlin Entertainments in 1999. He was later appointed a Director of the company on 20 October 2013. Nick started his career in marketing, first with Rowntree and then with Reckitt Colman. He went on to hold senior positions within The Tussauds Group, including Marketing Director of Alton Towers and Head of Group Marketing, before becoming managing director of Vardon Attractions and a main board director of Vardon. In 1999, Nick led the management buyout of Vardon Attractions to form Merlin Entertainments and, in 2005, initiated the process which led to its acquisition by the
Blackstone Group Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. Blackstone's private equity business has been one of the largest investors in leveraged buyouts in the last three decades, while its real estate b ...
. In 2011, he stated his belief that free admission to British museums and art galleries were primarily used by "foreign tourists and middle class people who can afford it." In business circles, he is widely seen as an aggressive marketer and was quoted in 2011 as saying "if you can get out of our attractions without buying tickets for the others, well, good luck." In 2013 Nick Varney was awarded an honorary doctorate by Staffordshire University "In recognition of his considerable business success on a global scale."Staffordshire University Graduates 2013 – Nick Varney awarded doctorate
staffs.ac.uk. Retrieved 27 March 2016.
On April 29, 2022, it was announced that Varney had informed the Merlin Entertainments Board that he intended to retire from the company. It was said that a search for a replacement would begin and Mr. Varney would turn over his responsibilities to the successor within 12 months.


Legoland

Having completed a management buyout of Vardon Attractions in 1999, Varney wanted to purchase the
Legoland Legoland (, trademark in uppercase as LEGOLAND) is a chain of family theme parks focusing on the construction toy system Lego. They are not fully owned by The Lego Group itself; rather, they are owned and operated by the British theme park com ...
parks when they came up for sale. Varney wanted to invest but his current financial investors were not interested, and therefore Merlin was sold to the Blackstone Group for £110 million in 2005. Blackstone negotiated to buy control of Legoland for approximately £250 million, then merged it with the Merlin Group. As part of the deal, KIRKBI AS, the investment arm of LEGO owners, took a share in Merlin Entertainments.


Gardaland

Under Blackstone in 2006, Varney wished to purchase an Italian theme park, namely
Gardaland Gardaland Resort is an amusement park located in northeastern Italy. Opened on 19 July 1975, the resort includes Gardaland Park, Gardaland Sea-Life, Legoland Waterpark, Gardaland Hotel, Adventure Hotel and Magic Hotel. It is adjacent to Lake Ga ...
.


The Tussauds Group

In 2007, Varney arranged for the purchase and merger of
The Tussauds Group The Tussauds Group was an entertainment company which is now a part of Merlin Entertainments. It was based in Poole, Dorset from where it managed a portfolio of brands and over 50 attractions that included the Madame Tussauds waxworks, Legoland T ...
, owner of the Madame Tussauds celebrity wax attractions, for £1 billion. After the Tussauds acquisition,
Dubai International Capital Dubai International Capital (DIC) is the international investment arm of Dubai Holding, a global conglomerate and sovereign wealth fund of the government of Dubai and its ruling family. DIC invests private funds on behalf of Dubai Holding and se ...
, the owners of the Tussauds Group, held 20% of Merlin Entertainment. The buyout and merger of The Tussauds Group was completed on 22 May 2007. With the completion of the merger, The Tussauds Group ceased to exist as a separate entity. The control of
Madame Tussauds Madame Tussauds (, ) is a wax museum founded in 1835 by French wax sculptor Marie Tussaud in London, spawning similar museums in major cities around the world. While it used to be spelled as "Madame Tussaud's"; the apostrophe is no longer us ...
,
London Eye The London Eye, or the Millennium Wheel, is a cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. It is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel, and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United ...
,
Chessington World of Adventures Chessington World of Adventures Resort is a theme park, zoo and hotel complex in Chessington, Greater London, England, around southwest of Central London. The complex opened as Chessington Zoo in 1931, with the theme park being developed along ...
,
Alton Towers Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, ...
,
Thorpe Park Thorpe Park Resort, commonly known as Thorpe Park, is an amusement park located in the village of Thorpe between the towns of Chertsey and Staines-upon-Thames in Surrey, England, southwest of Central London. It is operated by Merlin Entertai ...
,
Warwick Castle Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort, originally built by William the Conqueror during 1068. Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a meander of the River Avon. The original wooden motte-an ...
and
Heide Park Heide Park Resort, commonly known as Heide Park, is a theme park in Soltau, Lower Saxony, Germany. With an overall area of over 850,000 m2 (210 acres), it is the largest amusement park in Northern Germany and among the largest in the country. ...
were passed to Merlin. On 17 July 2007, Varney executed a deal to sell the freeholds of Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Warwick Castle and Madame Tussauds to private investor
Nick Leslau Nick Leslau, born , is an English commercial property investor, with an estimated fortune in the ''Sunday Times'' Rich List of £200 million. Leslau is Chairman and Chief Executive of Prestbury Investment Holdings Limited, and Chairman of ...
and his investment company, Prestbury. Although these sites were purchased by Leslau, they continue to be operated by Merlin, with each site leased on a renewable 35-year lease.


Charity work

Varney and Merlin Entertainments established ''Merlin's Magic Wand'' in 2006. The charity believes in putting the magic back into the childhoods of seriously ill, disabled and disadvantaged children. In July 2014, Brian House in Blackpool received a brand new minibus which transformed future outings for the hospice. Merlin's Magic Wand donated the specially adapted bus which was handed over by mascots from Merlin attractions: The Blackpool Tower, Madame Tussauds Blackpool and SEA LIFE Blackpool. The production costs of the specially designed carrier totalled over £50,000, with the vehicle being fitted with interactive features, including a DVD player, LED interchangeable lights and a Star Cloth ceiling in the hope of creating special and memorable experiences for young patients. In March 2015, new sensory changing rooms, designed to ease disabled children into the swimming pool environment, were opened at Victoria Education Centre in Poole. The new facilities were created and funded by the charity and enable disabled students to adjust from the outside world to the swimming pool with interactive flooring and atmospheric lighting.The innovative sensory changing rooms that will help disabled children prepare for the swimming pool
– Bournemouth Echo. 30 December 2015.


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Varney, Nick 1962 births Living people Alumni of the London School of Economics English chief executives Merlin Entertainments Group