INSPIRING TOMORROW’S MEMORIES MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS PLC ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018 AT A GLANCE GLOBAL OPPORTUNITIES Geography(1) Tourist/domestic(2) Weather exposure(1) AND EXPANSION UK: 31% DOMESTIC: 72% OUTDOOR: 62% CONTINENTAL TOURIST: 28% INDOOR: 38% EUROPE: 25% NORTH AMERICA: 27% ASIA PACIFIC: 17% A BALANCED, (1) Based on 2018 revenue GLOBAL PORTFOLIO (2) Based on a sample of visitors answering the question ‘What is your home country?’ SINCE OUR FORMATION IN 1999, THE 27 PURSUIT OF OUR STRATEGY HAS RESULTED IN A PORTFOLIO OF ASSETS DIVERSIFIED BY GEOGRAPHY, BY FORMAT, AND BY CUSTOMER TYPE. • Operating across 25 countries and 4 continents, • Our portfolio of Midway attractions and theme we now generate over 70% of our profits from parks means that we are relatively balanced against outside the UK. weather fluctuations, with approximately 60% of • Whilst Merlin is not immune to external, revenue coming from outdoor attractions. geo-political shocks, the breadth and scale • With over two-thirds of our visitors being domestic, of the portfolio helps limit their impact. we are not reliant upon the ‘fly-in’ markets. OUR BRANDS MIDWAY ATTRACTIONS THEME PARKS Amazing Discoveries Famous Fun Playful Learning Continental Europe: 1 United Kingdom: 1 Asia Pacific: 2 Playful Learning Fantastical Escapism Wild Adventure Big Fantasy Adventure United Kingdom: 11 United Kingdom: 2 United Kingdom: 2 Asia Pacific: 1 United Kingdom: 1 United Kingdom United Kingdom Italy Continental Europe: 18 Continental Europe: 4 Continental Europe: 3 Continental Europe: 2 North America: 8 North America: 7 North America: 11 North America: 2 Asia Pacific: 9 Asia Pacific: 10 Asia Pacific: 4 Asia Pacific: 3 Asia Pacific: 1 Asia Pacific: 1 Asia Pacific: 2 Key Scary Fun Eye Opening Extraordinary Insane Fun Ultimate Castle United Kingdom: 5 United Kingdom: 2 Adventure United Kingdom United Kingdom Existing Merlin attractions Continental Europe: 3 Asia Pacific: 1 Germany North America: 1 Existing UK attractions Asia Pacific: 1 Asia Pacific: 1 United Kingdom: 1 2018 new attractions MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS PLC 01 CONTENTS OUR PURPOSE HIGHLIGHTS AND KPIs Company Overview 02 How we report our results Chairman’s Statement 04 DELIVERING MEMORABLE Details on the period under review and performance measures used are set out in the Financial and EXPERIENCES TO OUR GUESTS Operating Review on page 33. We use certain ‘alternative performance measures’ in our reporting in Strategic Report 67.0 m order to present our trading performance in the most helpful and meaningful way; that section explains Market Overview 06 the measures used and why we use them. Business Model 08 In a busy and increasingly fragmented world, time is at a premium. VISITORS +1.4% Especially time together with friends and family. Executive Directors’ remuneration is linked to certain KPIs, as indicated by the following symbol . Chief Executive’s Report 10 Our Six Strategic Growth Drivers 14 More details on Directors’ remuneration are set out in the Directors’ Remuneration Report on Case Studies 16 At its heart, Merlin is about creating truly memorable experiences pages 74 to 89. Q&A – Operating Groups 22 from these moments together. Memories to be shared at the school Q&A – MMM and New Openings 24 gates, on social media or on the journey home, but remembered forever. Terms used throughout this document are de ned in the Glossary on pages 156 to 157. Financial and Operating Review 26 2018 67.0 Principal Risks 34 People 42 2017 66.0 Responsible Business 48 2016 63.8 Governance Corporate Governance Statement 58 Board of Directors 60 Corporate Governance Report 62 Nomination Committee Report 66 Health, Safety and Security m m m Committee Report 68 £1,688 £327 £323 Audit Committee Report 70 REVENUE UNDERLYING TOTAL OPERATING Directors’ Remuneration Report 74 Reported growth +5.9% OPERATING PROFIT PROFIT Directors’ Report 90 Directors’ Responsibilities Statement 92 Organic growth +5.2% Reported growth +1.3% Independent Auditor’s Report 93 Like for like growth +1.8% Organic growth +3.4% Financial statements Consolidated income statement 100 2018 1,688 2018 327 Consolidated statement of 2017 323 comprehensive income 101 2017 1,594 £285m Consolidated statement of nancial position 102 2016 1,428 2016 302 PROFIT BEFORE TAX Consolidated statement of changes in equity 103 Consolidated statement of cash ows 104 Notes to the accounts 105 Merlin Entertainments plc Company nancial statements 148 Notes to the Company nancial statements 150 22.5p 22.9p 8.9% Other information Financial record 155 BASIC EPS ADJUSTED EPS RETURN ON Glossary 156 +9.5% CAPITAL EMPLOYED Other nancial information 158 +11.7 % Shareholder information 159 2018 22.5 2018 22.9 2018 8.9% 2017 20.5 2017 20.5 2017 9.1% 2016 19.5 2016 19.5 2016 9.6% 95% 86% 0.03 GUEST SATISFACTION EMPLOYEE HEALTH AND SAFETY Based on guest satisfaction surveys. Our target is a ENGAGEMENT The Medical Treatment Case (MTC) rate score over 90%. Based on our annual employee survey (see captures the rate of guest injuries requiring page 42). Our target is a score over 80%. external medical treatment relative to 10,000 guest visitations. The reduction in the rate in 2018 is therefore a positive outcome. 2018 95% 2018 86% 2018 0.03 2017 96% 2017 86% 2017 0.04 2016 94% 2016 89% 2016 0.06 INFORMATION ONLINE Visit our website: www.merlinentertainments.biz 02 MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS PLC ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018 MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS PLC 03 COMPANY OVERVIEW A YEAR OF MEMORABLE 2018 JULY LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Birmingham opens. EXPERIENCES ‘LEGO City: Deep Sea Adventure’ opens at LEGOLAND California. OCTOBER The Bear Grylls Adventure in Birmingham, UK, Peppa Pig World of Play in Shanghai (see case study on pages 20 MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS IS A to 21) and the Shanghai GLOBAL LEADER IN LOCATION Dungeon open. BASED, FAMILY ENTERTAINMENT. As Europe’s number one and the world’s second-largest JUNE visitor attraction operator, Merlin now operates over 120 World’s first sanctuary for beluga whales announced. attractions, 18 hotels and 6 holiday villages in 25 countries and across 4 continents. In 2018 the Company delivered memorable experiences to 67 million visitors worldwide, through its iconic global and local brands and the commitment and passion of its c.28,000 employees (peak season). We operate two distinct types of visitor attraction; • Our Midway Attractions are high quality, branded, predominantly indoor attractions with a typical one to two hour dwell time located in city centres, shopping malls or resorts. • Our Theme Parks are larger multi-day outdoor destination venues, incorporating on-site themed accommodation. These are organised into two Operating Groups, based on the brands – LEGOLAND Parks and Resort Theme Parks. SEPTEMBER Little BIG City Beijing and LEGOLAND Discovery Centre APRIL Columbus open. 252 room hotel and SEA LIFE Merlin Magic Wand celebrates tenth anniversary. Centre open at LEGOLAND Japan, developing the park into a resort. 250 room LEGOLAND California Castle Hotel opens, doubling the capacity of on-site accommodation. MIDWAY ATTRACTIONS LEGOLAND PARKS RESORT THEME PARKS We have high quality, chainable brands and are the only company Located worldwide, LEGOLAND Parks are aimed at families with Resort Theme Parks are national brands aimed at families, teenagers to successfully operate the Midway model on a global scale. We are younger children and have LEGO as the central theme. Highly and young adults, with themed accommodation at all locations. increasingly partnering with third party Intellectual Property owners themed accommodation is central to our strategy to develop the They have high brand and customer awareness in their local to create new brands which complement the portfolio and broaden customer offering. Merlin holds the global, exclusive rights to the markets and include the leading theme parks in the UK, Italy and our appeal across all key target demographics. LEGOLAND brand. Northern Germany. GLOBAL BRANDS LOCATIONS BRANDS MARCH SEA LIFE Billund, Denmark Alton Towers Resort, ‘Wicker Man’ roller coaster opens at m £ m Madame Tussauds m £ m California, USA m £ m UK Alton Towers Resort (see case study 40.4 677 LEGOLAND Discovery 15.6 637 Dubai, UAE 11.0 367 Chessington World of on pages 16 to 17). Visitors Revenue Visitors Revenue Visitors Revenue Adventures Resort, UK Centre Florida, USA Gardaland Resort, Italy 142 room Pirate Island Hotel The Dungeons Günzburg, Germany opens at LEGOLAND Deutschland Heide Park Resort, The Eye Johor, Malaysia (see case study on pages 18 to 19). Germany Nagoya, Japan Opening of ‘Peppa Pig Lands’ at THORPE PARK Resort, Gardaland and Heide Park Resorts. Windsor, UK UK Warwick Castle, UK 2017 Find out more on page 23 Find out more on page 23 Find out more on page 22 04 MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS PLC ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS 2018 MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS PLC 05 CHAIRMAN’S STATEMENT STRATEGIC PROGRESS AND ORGANIC GROWTH MERLIN ENTERTAINMENTS Trading and strategy Governance and the Board worldwide as part of a number of initiatives to After several challenging years, 2018 saw a number The recent externally facilitated evaluation exercise remove single-use plastics from the business. CONTINUES TO MAKE of important strategic developments and a year of confirmed that the Board and its Committees each continued steady organic growth. remain effective. No major concerns were Our partner charity, the SEA LIFE Trust, continues STRATEGIC PROGRESS AND identified and the Board was described as strong, with activities to protect marine wildlife. Supported REPORTS CONTINUED Our strategy to expand the LEGOLAND parks with a good mix of skills, experience and culture, by the Group, in 2018 it announced a world first footprint continued. Construction began in the first with a collegiate, supportive and collaborative when construction started on a beluga whale ORGANIC GROWTH. half of the year on the LEGOLAND New York approach.