The Firm has represented Blackstone Capital Partners and CVC Capital Partners on the sale of their respective remaining stakes in Merlin Entertainments Plc (“Merlin”). The secondary offering, which was effected pursuant to a block trade by way of an accelerated book build, raised gross sale proceeds of approximately £653 million (US$1 billion). The sale was the last in a series of block trades which has seen Blackstone and CVC reduce their stakes in Merlin from approximately 21% and 12% respectively to zero since the time of Merlin’s IPO in November 2013, raising aggregate total gross sale proceeds of approximately £1.3 billion (US$2 billion).

Merlin, whose shares are admitted to the premium listing segment of the UKLA’s Official List and to trading on the London Stock Exchange plc’s main market for listed securities, is the largest European entertainments company operating in Europe. Merlin runs 100 attractions in 22 countries across four continents.

The London-based Simpson Thacher team included Adam Signy, James Connor and Martin Weatherston-Wilson (UK – Corporate and Capital Markets).