LEGO Takes Control: Discovery Centers Come Home for £200 Million
The LEGO Group has bought back all the LEGO and LEGOLAND Discovery Centers from Merlin Entertainments for a hefty £200 million. That's 29 centers across nine countries that welcome about five million visitors each year, all now under direct LEGO control.
If you've visited one of these discovery centers with the kids, you'll know they're those brilliant indoor attractions with rides, build areas, and 4D cinema experiences - essentially mini theme parks that don't need the weather to cooperate. They're quite different from the massive outdoor LEGOLAND parks, which Merlin will continue running under licence.
BILLUND, DENMARK, 24 September 2025: The LEGO Group today announced it has agreed to acquire LEGO® Discovery Centres and LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres from Merlin Entertainments. The acquisition will include 29 Centres in nine countries which attract around five million visitors each year.
LEGO Group CEO, Niels B Christiansen said: “We are excited to welcome the Discovery Centres to the LEGO Group and appreciate all that Merlin Entertainments has done to bring the LEGO brand to life through these attractions. They will be an important addition to our global network of retail stores and allow us to offer fans of all ages even more memorable hands-on brand and shopping experiences. We are looking forward to welcoming the dedicated Discovery Centre teams who inspire visitors bring to life their imagination and creativity through the power of LEGO Play.”
CEO Merlin Entertainments, Fiona Eastwood said: “For 20 years, Merlin has partnered with the LEGO Group to bring its beloved brand to life through experiential play, including in the Discovery Centres. It is now a natural next step for the Centres to become part of the LEGO Group, allowing Merlin to strengthen its focus on driving the growth and success of LEGOLAND Resorts alongside our other attractions worldwide. Together with the LEGO Group, we look forward to the opportunities ahead as we build on our shared commitment to delivering exceptional experiences for families across the globe.”
Located in high traffic areas in major cities, the Discovery Centres offer visitors exciting hands-on LEGO play experiences, eye-catching builds and a variety of entertainment activities. Each Centre also includes a retail outlet. The first LEGOLAND Discovery Centre opened in Berlin in 2007.
The acquisition is expected to close around the end of the year with an estimated cash consideration of £0.2 billion (subject to customary closing adjustments). . Merlin and the LEGO Group will continue their long-standing brand partnership. Merlin will continue to operate eleven LEGOLAND Resorts around the world under licence from the LEGO Group, including the recently opened resort in Shanghai.
From a practical standpoint, this should mean more consistent experiences across all centers and potentially better integration with LEGO's retail strategy. The company's been quite focused on creating those "brand experiences" lately, and having direct control over these popular family destinations makes perfect sense.
Personally, I think this signals LEGO's commitment to controlling more of the customer journey. Rather than licensing out these experiences, they're bringing them in-house where they can ensure quality and alignment with their brand values. For families, this could mean better maintained attractions, more regular updates to displays, and hopefully even more engaging building activities.
The deal's set to close by year's end, so don't expect immediate changes, but it's worth keeping an eye on how these centers evolve under direct LEGO management.