CVC Capital Partners to acquire 30% stake in Merlin

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

Private equity firm CVC is in talks to take a 30 percent stake in the owner of Britain's Alton Towers theme park as rival Blackstone looks to reduce its stake in the business, sources familiar with the process said. A deal would value Merlin Entertainments at about 2.5 billion pounds ($3.71 billion), one of the sources said, with CVC Capital Partners, Blackstone and Kirkbi A/S -- the Danish investment company owned by the family behind the Lego brand -- owning about 30 percent of the business each.