Legoland Shanghai
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Merlin Entertainments are looking for an LEGOLAND Asia Project Development Finance Director which has this listed in the job description.

Initially this will be focussed mainly in Asia with live projects in Korea and Shenzhen (China), two imminent further projects in China (Chengdu and Shanghai), collectively representing circa £1.5bn investment over 4 years, with the possibility of more to follow.

Looks like we should see some movement on Shanghai soon.

Source: https://www.glassdoor.co.uk/job-listing/legoland-asia-project-development-finance-director-merlin-entertainments-JV_IC3288246_KO0,50_KE51,72.htm?jl=3622906756

We finally have an update on Legoland Shanghai! The park has an updated location, cost and more:

Merlin Entertainments (“Merlin” or “the Company”), a global leader in location based entertainment with brands including LEGOLAND®, Madame Tussauds and the Dungeons, today announces that it has entered into an agreement with the Shanghai Jinshan District Government, CMC Inc. and KIRKBI to develop a LEGOLAND® Resort in the Jinshan District of Shanghai, China.

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 £500 million. The schedule for the project is still to be determined, but the project is not expected to open until after 2023.

LEGOLAND® Shanghai will be one of the largest LEGOLAND® Resorts in the world and will incorporate a 250-room fully themed hotel on opening. 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.

"I’m delighted that we are able to realise the development of a LEGOLAND® Resort in Shanghai; one of the most vibrant cities in the world. A gateway city with modern consumers, Shanghai is already the home for many Merlin brands, and it has been our ambition for some time to build a full-scale theme park that offers the people of Shanghai and visitors to the area the opportunity to immerse themselves in a unique LEGOLAND® experience. I’m honoured therefore to join our partners at this prestigious event and be able to announce this project which is a reflection of the scale opportunity in China and our commitment to developing our business here." - Nick Varney Chief Executive, Merlin Entertainments

"The establishment of a LEGOLAND® Park in Jinshan not only supports the economic bridge between Shanghai and Zhejiang province, and better contributes to the high-quality integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region; it also promotes Shanghai as a theme park destination with Disney Resort in the East and LEGOLAND® Resort in the west, supporting the local tourism economy. For Jinshan, it is an important opportunity to further the momentum in our regional development, enhance the area’s attractiveness and competitiveness and facilitate the growth in consumption. It also promotes the "simultaneous development of advanced manufacturing and modern service” and accelerates the pace of economic improvement in Jinshan." - Mr. Hu Wei Guo, Mayor and Party Secretary of Jinshan District, Shanghai

Sources: https://www.merlinentertainments.biz/newsroom/news-releases/2019/merlin-entertainments-announces-legoland-shanghai/ and http://www.xcar.com.cn/bbs/viewthread.php?f=touch&tid=93628403

This is the approximate location of Legoland Shanghai:



Sources: http://m.sohu.com/n/475172415/ and https://m.sohu.com/n/495509644/ and https://m.sohu.com/n/487830682/ and https://goo.gl/maps/Q8kgJq2eGqS2

A LEGOLAND theme park is due to open in the Dianshan Lake area in Qingpu District within five years, the Merlin Entertainments Group said yesterday.

The project is expected to be launched within three years and finished by 2022.

“The outdoor amusement theme park covering several hectares will promise a very fun experience,” said Yang Shengjun, channel marketing director of Merlin Entertainments China. It will be Lego’s first outdoor park in China.

Source: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/metro/society/Legoland-park-planned/shdaily.shtml

Shanghai Mayor Yang Xiong met with Nick Varney, chief executive officer of Merlin Entertainments Group, last Friday.

The UK company hopes to bring LEGOLand theme park to Shanghai.

He said Merlin Entertainments Group will work closely with its Chinese partners to build Shanghai LEGOland into a special theme park with Chinese elements.

Source: http://www.shanghaidaily.com/metro/the-vip-gallery/Mayor-meets-CEO-of-Merlin-Entertainments-Group/shdaily.shtml

Happy to help clear it up as I think it is confusing. I also think maybe a little bit of bravado on the Merlin side to try ride the Disney wave by seeming to open around the same time with something that sounds like a park.

LEGOLAND Discovery Centres are separate from the parks completely. They are a totally different concept and much more like a SEALIFE / Shreks Adventure / Kidzania style attraction. They do have small dark-rides, 4D cinema experience etc but are more aimed at getting kids building with LEGO than the theme parks are.

Costing 100 millionRMB, it is likely to include all of the Discovery Center hallmarks: a brick pool, factory tour, car racing area, a (hopefully sturdy) Lego ride, master classes from the Lego master model builder, and the famous Miniland exhibition, which will include replicas of all of Shanghai's most famous landmarks.

The mini-land they refer to is the small landscapes made out of LEGO that are in each theme-park or attraction LEGO have. The pictures you added previously are perfect examples of this. It is confusing, people think they are like indoor theme parks but they are a totally different concept (much like Disney stores or a Disney quest style attraction versus Disneyland proper)

I could see them doing a theme park in the future but I think they will be hard pushed to take away the Shanghai Disney crowds in the first few years and will wait to become an add-on to those visiting Disneyland Shanghai anyway. Unless something turns up in the meantime to give them an amazing location.

I am looking forward to hearing more when they have something! I would like to see something different though if we do get a new park for Shanghai. Most of the LEGOLANDs now are too formulaic for my taste.

The way I understood it, this Legoland theme park will be part of the Legoland Discovery Center. There hasn't been any news of a Legoland amusement park in itself since Mr. Varney announced it last year.

The Danish toy company already established more than 20 stores across China, but it does not stop there, as it plans to open a LEGOLand Discovery Center in Parkside Plaza in Shanghai on April 2. The new project reportedly costs 100 million RMB and will feature a 3,000-square meter mini-LEGOLand.

Source: http://www.chinatopix.com/articles/80864/20160326/toymaker-lego-open-asias-largest-retail-store-shanghai.htm#ixzz44NfnTIjX

I am a bit confused. Are we expecting a whole park in the future not just the Discovery Centre opening next month?

I have read a couple of articles and I am still not convinced Nick Varney hasn't been misquoted as saying a park when he may have been talking about Merlin's plans in general? Have we seen anything with location/budget/information? Would be an interesting development to see if it opens near Disneyland like the Orlando version.

Shanghai Legoland Discovery Center's Mini World:





The attraction will open on April 2, 2016.

Source:
http://english.eastday.com/Shanghai/u1ai8539210.html

Anything new on this?