that amusement park giants Cedar Fair and Six Flags plan to merge has led to widespread speculation – and some concern – among park fans and industry observers.
The deal, described as a merger of equals by the two companies, will create the largest regional amusement park company in the world, with a combined 27 amusement parks, 15 water parks and nine resorts across 17 states, Canada and Mexico. Niles offered this benefit for any possible future sales of smaller parks: “Land sales would provide extra cash to support the remaining parks, with salvageable attractions from the closed parks being available to become ‘new’ attractions at the remaining parks, too, further easing the need for big capital expenditures. I would not be surprised to see this deal ultimately become a merger of the top Six Flags parks with the top Cedar Fair parks, with the rest closed or sold.
Zimmerman, in a conference call with analysts last week, said he was excited about intellectual property opportunities. “IP is incredibly important, a differentiator in the minds of our consumers,” he said. “And I think our ability to unlock how we look at that in the future, gets me really excited.”
Cedar Fair spokesman Gary Rhodes, meanwhile, downplayed the possibility of any name changes. “We know the Cedar Fair brand has a tremendous legacy and reputation with the guests who love our parks,” he said last week. “As such, there are no plans to change the names or branding of any Cedar Fair parks.”