Thursday, October 29th, 2009
It seems like everywhere you look, retailers are closing shop and filing bankruptcies, and empty storefronts are lining the streets. Last year we saw the closing of retail giants, Circuit City and Linens N’ Things, and luxury retailers such as Versace also closed stores around the world. So why is it that Legoland Discovery Center, an attraction centered on the LEGO building blocks, is opening stores in Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta?
I believe Legoland sees an opportunity in the recession because consumers are looking for free or affordable cost entertainment in their malls. This trend also corresponds to a consumer who expects their news to be free on the web. Consequently, we see malls across the globe add entertainment and amusement venues to draw consumers who have relegated shopping to obligatory time, which is something close to work. These consumers are bored with the same stores in every mall and with higher gas prices, lost home values and depressed 401K accounts they do not have the funds for a shopping spree. (more…)
Tags: bahrain, Disney Store, Dubai, entertainment, lego, Legoland, mall of emirates, malls, shopping center, shopping mall, ski dubai, wahoo water park
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Reprinted from Atlanta Journal Constitution
A Legoland Discovery Centre – a small indoor attraction based on the tiny plastic brick children’s toys from Denmark – is being planned for metro Atlanta, a broker said Friday.
The company that will develop it – Merlin Entertainment Group of the United Kingdom – may also seek to bring its wax museum brand — Madame Tussauds — to Atlanta, said Howard Samuels, the company’s national broker with Samuels & Co. in Los Angeles.
The location for the Legoland attraction – which would charge admission of $15 for kids and $19 for adults – is still in negotiations, Samuels said. The attraction would include an Atlanta skyline made of Legos. (more…)
Tags: amusement, Atlanta, entaintment, lego, Legoland, world of coke
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Reprinted from The Telegraph
Calcutta has the potential to house 10 amusement parks, but has only two such crowd-pullers — Nicco Park and Aquatica. While South India boasts of 30-35 fun parks, the eastern region has just seven of the 120 in the country.
This was the talking point at a meet organised by the Indian Association of Amusement Parks and Industries on Saturday in Nicco Park.
“The process (of setting up amusement parks) was speeded up in the south because of government support,” said N.D. Rana, the president of the association, formed 13 years ago to promote the industry. (more…)
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Reprinted from The Cairns Post
A $2 billion resort plan for Cairns including a theme park, film studio, water park and hotels, has been unveiled this afternoon.
Proponent Tropical Resort Developments Pty Ltd said building on the Edmonton development could start as early as 2011, and would take 10 years to complete.
The major project still needs approval from the State Government.
The new project plans come as Cairns Regional Council prepares to vote on a controversial proposal for a waterslide theme park at Smithfield.
Tomorrow’s council vote comes after council planners recommended a proposed $35 million water park Adventure Waters be rejected.
Tags: amusement park, Australia, Cairns, film studio, hotels, theme park, Tropical Resort Developments, water park
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Reprinted from North County Times
A proposal to build a 254-room, Lego-themed hotel at the Legoland California amusement park won the support it needed Tuesday from the Carlsbad City Council.
The state’s Coastal Commission also is expected to soon sign off on the plans, but when construction will begin is uncertain, project backers said, adding that it depends on national economic conditions.
“We need to see signs of recovery first,” Legoland general manager Peter Ronchetti told the City Council. (more…)
Tags: amusement, amusement park, hotel, lego, Legoland, Legoland Hotel
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Reprinted from Star-Telegraph
A $12 million Legoland Discovery Centre, an attraction centered on the popular children’s building blocks, will be coming to Grapevine Mills mall, the city said Tuesday.
The only other U.S. Legoland Discovery Centre opened last year outside Chicago. Legoland Discovery Centre and the Legoland theme park in California are developments of U.K.-based Merlin Entertainment Group, reportedly the world’s second-biggest operator of visitor attractions.
The Grapevine City Council and the board of the Tax Increment Financing District No. 1, which was established several years ago for the mall, approved a two-phase, $1 million incentive package for the project. Merlin Entertainment will receive $500,000 when it completes the facility and $500,000 when it completes an accompanying 10,000-square-foot miniature golf facility made from Legos. (more…)
Tags: amusement, Dallas, entertainment, Grapevine, lego, Legoland, shopping mall
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Reprinted from The New York Times
The Walt Disney Company, with the help of Steven P. Jobs and his retailing team at Apple, intends to drastically overhaul its approach to the shopping mall.
At a time when many retailers are still cutting back or approaching strategic shifts with extreme caution, Disney is going the other way, getting more aggressive and putting into motion an expensive and ambitious floor-to-ceiling reboot of its 340 stores in the United States and Europe — as well as opening new ones, including a potential flagship in Times Square.
Disney Stores, which the media giant is considering rebranding Imagination Park, will become more akin to cozy entertainment hubs. The chain’s traditional approach of displaying row after row of toys and apparel geared to Disney franchises will be given a high-tech makeover and incorporated into a new array of recreational activities. The goal is to make children clamor to visit the stores and stay longer, perhaps bolstering sales as a result. Over the next five years, analysts estimate that Disney will spend about $1 million a store to redecorate, reorganize and install interactive technology. (more…)
Tags: Apple, branding, Disney, Disney Store, entertainment, malls, redevelopment, shopping, shopping center
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Sindibad Parc, the only theme park in Morocco, has been closed for close to 2 years. But now there is new life for the park. After a year and a half of proposals and negotiations the Ministry of Culture in Morocco has chosen a developer for the closed Sinbad Park in Casablanca.
A group of five companies, including Compagnie des Alpes, will invest DH2.3 billion (US$300 million) to redevelop the park. Plans for the 70-hectare (173-acre) site include an amusement park, zoo, hotel, commercial park and residences. As part of the project, the developers must agree to set aside land for an archaeological museum and preserve excavated areas.
The redevelopment will be built on 24 hectares (59 acres), with the remaining 114 acres likely going towards the archeological museum and excavation sites. The excavation sites and archeological museum are intended to be working archeological sites simultaneously servings as a sort of open-air museum for visitors.
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