Drayton Manor Theme Park and Zoo near Tamworth, Staffordshire have confirmed today via social media that the park has been sold to Looping Group as part of a pre-pack administration.
News had surfaced earlier in the week that Drayton Manor, a theme park that has been owned by the Bryan family since 1950 had filed a notice of appointing administrators, leaving the future of the park uncertain with rumours of several well established attractions companies lined up to save the park.
This year, the parks 70th Anniversary has seen extraordinary challenges, which helped caused the park to go into administration. Mike Denny, joint administrator and PwC Director, explained further:
“The Group had been facing exceptionally challenging trading conditions. In February, Storm Dennis forced the Park to close unexpectedly, whilst its planned reopening in March was delayed due to Covid-19. These factors combined exacerbated cash flow pressures on the Group."
Looping Group owns 16 attractions across the UK and Europe with there portfolio covering water parks, animal parks, aquariums and theme parks / leisure parks. Some of the most well-known assets include: Pleasurewood Hills, West Midlands Safari Park, Isla Magica and now, Drayton Manor.
In the announcement, Drayton Manor state that "The [Looping] group will retain Drayton Manor Park’s employees as part of the buy-out, and has very ambitious development plans to ensure the park’s long-term sustainability and make it an even more attractive leisure destination for families."
The future development plans are unknown at this moment but it is exciting times for the park as it has seen little in the way in investment in recent years and for thrill seekers, it has been more than six years since a new thrill attraction appeared at the park and nine years since a new rollercoaster.
Laurent Bruloy, CEO of the Looping Group, said:
“We are thrilled and proud to welcome Drayton Manor Park and its talented team to our group. I would like to commend the Bryan family who has, over three generations, been developing the park and made it one of the most beautiful references of our industry in the UK. We are deeply respectful about all that has been achieved by the teams. We aim to continue the story and support Drayton Manor’s development with the same entrepreneurial DNA and values that we share whilst keeping the strong local anchorage of the resort."
For guests who were looking to visit Drayton Manor in the near future, rest assured as all outstanding booking with the park and hotel remain in place.
