Short On Magic

From 'www.wsicommunity.com (http://goo.gl/AzdYMC)'



Short On Magic

By Lex



Alton Towers’ roller coaster “The Smiler” has been closed for six months. Six months ago, it crashed and maimed a lot of passengers. The owner of the theme park, Merlin Entertainments will probably have to give a lot of money to the people hurt in the accident and may even have to close the £18m ride. This type of accident can scare away customers for months.
Alton Tower 의 롤러코스터 “The Smiler” 가 6개월동안 사용정지 되었습니다. 6개월 전, 사고로 많은 승객들이 불구가 되었습니다. 테마파크의 소유주인 Merlin Entertainments

However, this accident will not be the end for Merlin. Merlin's debts are lower than their competitors like Six Flags and Cedar Fair. Unlike them, they earn money from all around the world and not just in the US. Merlin do not just sell thrills on rollercoasters, they supply a continuous important service - entertainment for bored children.
Their biggest division, Midway Attractions, has about 100 smaller, museums in towns and cities like Madame Tussauds and SeaLife. Parents will pay a lot of money for a few hours of peace and quiet from their children. Together with Legoland parks, these places earn 70 per cent of revenue.
A Midway project costs less than £10m to develop. Merlin do not usually own the park land, and the theme (Shrek, Tussauds, CBeebies) is often licensed and already popular. The biggest risk Merlin has is Legoland, which will open in Dubai, China and more. It is not really a big risk though because playing with Lego is like a common language for children.
The other risks in this entertainment industry are boring too. Rain is always a problem in the UK. A strong currency is also a problem. A strong pound makes British people go to other countries on holiday, and makes foreign income from tourists less valuable. Another problem is that the seasonal contracts Merlin needs might be more difficult to get in the future because of changes in the law.
However, even with these problems Merlin is doing well in the stock market and will probably continue to do well in the future.





1) scare somebody away/off: 겁을 주어 ~를 쫓아 버리다
2) maim: to deprive of the use of some part of the body by wounding or the like; cripple / 불구로 만들다