A LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre is an indoor attraction, a sort of miniature theme park that is organized vertically with various rides, activities, a 4D cinema, and a café spread out over several floors and a large gift shop in the lobby.  Merlin Entertainments owns and/or manages all of the LEGOLAND® theme parks and LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers around the world on behalf of the Kristiansen family (who founded and own The LEGO® Group) and some other investors, as well as other theme parks and indoor attractions.

Merlin manages its chain of LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres separately from the LEGOLAND® theme parks.  The Legoland Parks Operating Group is under the umbrella of the Resort Theme Parks Operating Group, which also manages the Alton Towers theme park.  By contrast, the chain of LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres is part of the same operating group as the Madame Tussauds chain of wax museums and the SEA LIFE Centres, Midway Attractions Operating Group.[1]  In 2021, Merlin announced it was re-branding the LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres as LEGO® Discovery Centres.

Please note that in the whole of Europe, as well as the former British colonies of Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong, Merlin uses the Queen’s English.  As a result, Merlin refers to these indoor attractions as “LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres” in Europe, Canada, Australia, and Hong Kong.  However, in the U.S.A., it uses American English, so, here they are called “LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers.”  In in English-language documents in Japan and in the rest of China outside Hong Kong, Merlin refers to them as “LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers” because in Japan and China outside Hong Kong people learning English will invariably learn American English rather than the Queen’s English.

The first of the LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres to open was LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Berlin in 2007.  The second to open was LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Chicago in 2008.

I already profiled it separately, but briefly LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Chicago is located in The Streets of Woodfield, a large strip mall across the street (Woodfield Road) from Woodfield Mall in northwest suburban Schaumburg, Illinois. It has over 3,000,000 LEGO^® bricks and nine attractions including: Master Builder Academy; Jungle Expedition; Kingdom Quest Laser Ride; LEGO City Construction Site Play Zone; Merlin’s Apprentice Ride; LEGO 4D Cinema; Build and Test; LEGO Factory Tour; and MINILAND featuring famous Chicago landmarks. The address is 601 North Martingale Road, Schaumburg, Illinois. 

An Overview of LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres in Europe

There are six LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres in Europe and one brand-new LEGO® Discovery Centre for a total of seven LEGO®-themed indoor attractions.  Two of them are in Germany.  Firstly, there is the aforementioned LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Berlin.  That one is inside the Sony Center in Potsdamer Platz.  Secondly, there is LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Duisburg, which opened in Duisburg Inner Harbour in 2007, and subsequently moved.  It re-opened as LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Oberhausen, which opened in 2013.   [The old Duisburg site is now a children’s museum, the Explorado Kindermuseum.] There are two LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres in England.  LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Manchester opened in The Trafford Centre in 2010.  That was the first one to open in England and the British Isles as a whole.

In December 2016, the N.E.C. Group, which was formerly a government entity, lodged plans with the municipal government of Birmingham – the original Birmingham in England, not the city named after it in Alabama – for Merlin to convert a 58,900-square-foot space at Barclaycard Arena into a LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre.[2]  [N.E.C. stands for National Exhibition Centre.  The N.E.C. Group owns and operates the National Exhibition Centre, the International Convention Centre, Genting Arena, and Barclaycard Arena in the West Midlands.  In 2014, the Birmingham City Council put the N.E.C. up for sale and in January of 2015 completed its sale to Lloyds Development Capital (L.D.C.), which is the Lloyds Banking Group’s private equity arm.[3]  It, in turn, sold the N.E.C. Group to Blackstone in October of 2018 for £800,000,000.[4]  This means there is now some common ownership between Merlin and the N.E.C. Group, but that was not the case in 2016.] Storm Rannard reported that “4D cinema, rides, interactive LEGO-themed attractions, a café and shops” would be spread out over three floors.[5]  Merlin anticipated LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Birmingham would attract 2,560 visitors per day and expected to employ forty-to-fifty people there.[6] 

Ms. Rannard reported, “At a Birmingham City Council planning meeting yesterday… committee members hailed the scheme as an ‘excellent idea that will be well-received by many families’.”[7]  Storm Ranndard wrote the first of two articles about these plans for LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Birmingham a few days after Insider reported that Merlin would build an “adventure attraction” called “Project Thor” at the National Exhibition Centre.[8]

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Birmingham opened in Arena Birmingham in 2018.  This was a £7,000,000 investment.[9] 

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Scheveningen is in Scheveningen, one of eight districts of The Hague, which is both the provincial capital city of South Holland and the national capital city of the Netherlands.  It opened on July 1, A.D. 2021.  This was the first one to open in the Netherlands and the first one to open in one of the BENELUX countries.

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Istanbul opened in Forum Istanbul in Constantinople in 2015.  That was not only the first one to open in Turkey, but it remains the only LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in the Balkans, the only one in Eastern Europe, and the only one in a Muslim-majority country.

Merlin’s Re-Opening Attractions After England’s 3^rd COVID-19 Lockdown

On May 11, A.D. 2021, Merlin announced that “its indoor attractions across England” would re-open on Monday, May 17, A.D. 2021, “after the Government confirmed the next stage of its roadmap out of lockdown” in reference to the third COVID-19 lockdown in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.[13]  The indoor attractions included Madame Tussauds in London and Blackpool; SEA LIFE in London, Birmingham, Manchester, Weymouth, Hunstanton, Great Yarmouth, Brighton, Blackpool, and Scarborough; The Dungeons in London and York; the lastminute.com London Eye; LEGOLAND Discovery Centres in Manchester and Birmingham; and Shrek’s Adventure! in London.[14]

An Overview of LEGOLAND Discovery Centers in North America

There are fourteen LEGOLAND® Discovery Centres in North America, thirteen of them in the U.S.A.  The aforementioned LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Chicago was the first to open in the Western Hemisphere, the U.S.A., and the Midwest. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Dallas / Fort Worth, which opened in Grapevine Mills Mall in Grapevine, Texas in 2011, was the first to open in Texas and the American South.  LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Atlanta, which opened in Phipps Plaza in 2012, was the second to open in the American South and the first on the American East Coast. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Kansas City, which opened in Crown Center in Kansas City, Missouri in 2012, was the second one to open in the Midwest. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Westchester, which opened in Ridge Hill in Yonkers, New York in 2013, was the first to open in New York City, the first to open in New York State, the first one to open in a Mid-Atlantic state, and the second one to open on the East Coast. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Boston, which opened in Assembly Row in Somerville, Massachusetts in 2014, was the first one to open in New England and the third one to open on the East Coast. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Michigan, which opened in Auburn Hills, Michigan on March 25, A.D. 2015, was the third one to open in the Midwest. LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Arizona opened in a 40,000-square-foot space in Arizona Mills Mall in Tempe, Arizona on April 22, A.D. 2016.  It was the first one to open in the American Southwest. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Philadelphia opened in Plymouth Meeting Mall in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania on April 6, A.D. 2017.  It was the second one to open in a Mid-Atlantic state and the fourth one to open on the East Coast. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Columbus opened in the Easton Town Center shopping mall in Columbus, Ohio on September 28, A.D. 2018.  It was the fourth one to open in the Midwest.  LEGOLAND® Discovery Center San Antonio opened in San Antonio, Texas, on April 12, A.D. 2019.  This was the second one to open in Texas and the third to open in the South.  LEGOLAND® Discovery Center New Jersey (American Dream) opened in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on June 15, A.D. 2021. It was the third one to open in a Mid-Atlantic state and the fifth to open on the East Coast.  LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Bay Area opened in Milpitas, California on June 15, A.D. 2021.  [Milpitas is a large town or small city with a population of a little over 80,000 people in Santa Clara County within Silicon Valley.]  It was the first to open in California and the first to open on the West Coast.  As far as I can make out, a Merlin subsidiary owns the LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers in the U.S.A., LEGOLAND Discovery Centers U.S., L.L.C. The lone one in Canada is LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Toronto opened in Vaughan Mills in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada in 2013.  It remains the only one in Canada.

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers in Japan

There are two LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers in Japan.  LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Tokyo opened in a 32,520-square-foot space in Decks Mall on June 15, A.D. 2012.  It was the first to open in Japan and the first to open in Asia. 

On July, 23, A.D. 2014, Merlin Entertainments, P.L.C. announced it would partner with Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan “to open a LEGOLAND Discovery Center (LDC) in Tempozan Market Place Mall, Osaka.”[15]  This would be Merlin’s third indoor attraction in Japan as it already had LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Tokyo and Madame Tussauds.[16]

In a press release, Merlin stated, “A LEGOLAND Discovery Center is not a theme park.  It is a unique indoor attraction, also based on the popular LEGO brick but offering a fun, highly interactive and educational two- to three-hour experience specifically designed for families with children 3-10 years old.  Consisting of a range of exciting LEGO play areas including a brick pool, master classes from the LEGO Master Model Builder; a fun LEGO ride; special party rooms for birthdays and other celebrations, a 4D cinema, and of course the popular MINILAND exhibit found in every LEGOLAND Park and attraction.  MINILAND is designed to reflect the iconic buildings of each individual attraction’s location…”[17]

Glenn Earlam, Managing Director of Merlin’s Midway Attractions Operating Group, stated, “The LEGOLAND Discovery Center concept has been a huge success across the globe, particularly as part of a family day out which may also include shopping and eating out together.  Given the popularity of the Center in Tokyo which opened last year, we are confident people will also love the attraction in Osaka.  Osaka is Japan’s second City and an important destination for both national and international visitors, as well as having a high proportion of families with young children in its immediate catchment area – so is the ideal location for us.”[18]

Mr. Earlam added, “We are also absolutely delighted to be opening in the exciting Tempozan Market Place development, and to be working with Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan on this project.  As the owners of the adjacent and highly successful aquarium they understand the importance of high quality leisure attractions as part of the mix in driving visits to the Mall, alongside retail and dining.  This exciting combination provides a whole new element to a family shopping day, delivering significant incremental business to both the center – and to the area as a whole.  Such projects also play as important part in Merlin’s future growth strategy for all our ‘midway’ or indoor City Center attractions.”[19]

Hiroyuki Murakami, P.R. Team Manager of Osaka Aquarium Kaiyuka, stated, “Kaiyukan operates several successful attractions in Tempozan Market Place, including the very popular Kaiykan Aquarium, and the Ferris wheel.  These attractions have played a key role in ensuring the growth and popularity of the Tempozan Market Place as a destination for both local visitors and the many Japanese and international tourists who now come to Osaka.”[20]

Mr. Murakami added, “2015 is also Kaiyukan’s 25^th anniversary year and we are therefore delighted to be working with Merlin Entertainments, one of the best global operators of visitors attractions in the world, to bring this very special family attraction here in that very special year.  I firmly believe that the addition of LEGOLAND Discovery Center Osaka will not only add a new dimension to Tempozan Market Place, but also ensure its continued popularity and growth in the future.”

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Osaka opened on April 23, A.D. 2015.  It was the second one to open in Japan and Asia as a whole. 

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Melbourne

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Melbourne opened in a 30,129-square-foot space on April 18, A.D. 2017.  It is located in Chadstone – The Fashion Capital, which is the largest shopping centre in Australia.  [Chadstone is also the name of the town the mall is in.  This is a suburb of Melbourne, which is both the capital city of the federal state of Victoria and the largest city in Victoria.]  LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Melbourne is the first LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in the whole continent-federation of Australia as well as the greater Australasia (the combination of Australia and New Zealand).  Further, it is the only LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in the Southern Hemisphere.  According to its Website, LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Melbourne is now cashless.

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers in China

There are four LEGOLAND® Discovery Centers in Mainland China, three of them in the People’s Republic of China proper and one in Hong Kong. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Shanghai opened in a 32,291-square-foot space on April 2, A.D. 2016. LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Beijing opened in a 37,673-square-foot space in the Longfor Shopping Center in the Chinese capital city’s Chaoyang District on April 15, A.D. 2019.

LEGOLAND® Discovery Center Shenyang opened on January 10, A.D. 2019. It is the largest LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre in the world as it occupies 75,347 square feet.

In March of 2021, Merlin announced the opening of LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Hong Kong at K11 MUSEA.[21]  MINILAND® Hong Kong encompasses models of many famous buildings and miniature street scenes.[22]  It is comprised of 1,500,000 LEGO® bricks.  Building it entailed forty-six LEGO® Builders, nine LEGO® Designers, and four Technicians who spent more than 7,150 man-hours on the project.[23]  The buildings recreated in miniature include Star Ferry Central Pier, Peak Tram, Former Kowloon-Canton Railway Clock Tower, Tai O, Temple Street, Blue House in Wan Chai, and Mei Ho House.[24]

LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Hong Kong is for families with children ages three-to-ten.  Merlin estimates it should provide two-to-three hours of “interactive and educational experience.” [25]  It has ten LEGO®-themed play areas: Kingdom Quest, MINILAND®, LEGO® Friends, Master Builder Classroom, DUPLO Farm, Café, Magic Bikers, Build & Test, 4D Studio, and a gift shop. [26]  Single Day Admission Passes and Annual Passes are available for purchase both online and on-site, starting at HKD$240 and HK$1,099 per person, respectively. [27]

“Our primary concern has always been to create a fun and educational experience, while protecting the health of our guests and staff,” stated Ben Sweet, Merlin’s New Openings Director – Asia Pacific.  “Now that the Hong Kong government has approved the opening of indoor entertainment facilities, we will implement the necessary health and safety protocols, and we look forward to welcoming families to the ultimate indoor LEGO® playground.”[28]

Due to when LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Hong Kong opened, Merlin stated, “The attraction will open with “Leave Home Safe’ QR Code, capacity control measures, thermal scanners, social distancing and mask requirements according to guidance provided by the Hong Kong government.  Enhanced cleaning measures are also implemented throughout the day to clean and sanitise the attraction, including high-frequency touchpoints, play areas, and LEGO® bricks.” [29] 

LEGO® Discovery Centre Brussels, the First of Its Kind

As I wrote about in more detail yesterday, on February 4, A.D. 2021, Merlin announced that the twenty-eighth LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre would open in the Belgian capital city of Brussels in the summer of 2022.  However, it would not be called “LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Brussels,” but rather “LEGO® Discovery Centre Brussels.”  This shorter name reflects a re-branding of the chain as LEGO® Discovery Centres.[30]

“With a brand-new look and design, the attractions, now named LEGO Discovery Centres… will continue an already popular offering of highly interactive indoor play experiences,” Merlin stated in a press release. [31] 

Justin Platt, Merlin’s Chief Strategy Officer, stated, “We are delighted that our partnership with the LEGO Group continues to deliver such fantastic opportunities for our guests.  By working together to design and build this next generation of the LEGO Discovery Centres, we can cater for even more families looking for the ultimate LEGO morning or afternoon of indoor activity which the whole family can enjoy together.  We’re delighted to have worked closely with the LEGO Group’s strategic team to really understand how we can continue to build and strengthen the attraction’s offering for our future guests.” [32]

Julie Golden, The LEGO® Group’s Chief Product and Marketing Officer, stated, “We are excited to partner with Merlin Entertainments on the development of the new LEGO Discovery Centre in Brussels which will immerse the whole family in the world of LEGO play.  By creating this highly interactive indoor LEGO experience we will give families a place to play, explore, create and have fun together.  Working closely with Merlin Entertainments and their expertise in the location-based entertainment sector, we hope to spark curiosity, creativity and imagination for the builders of tomorrow.” [33]

The grand opening of the 3,000-square-meter [9,842.52-square-foot] LEGO® Discovery Centre Brussels occurred on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 22, A.D. 2022.[34]  Michelle Hoenveld, General Manager, opened LEGO® Discovery Centre Brussels by taking scissors to a ribbon with the tri-color of the Belgian flag.[35] She was joined by Marius Lang, The LEGO® Group’s Benelux General Manager.[36]

Ms. Hoenveld stated, “Over the past few months, we’ve worked very hard to make the LEGO Discovery Centre Brussels the ultimate place for children and their families to play, discover, create and have fun together.  The LEGO Discovery Centre Brussels is unique thanks to a number of brand-new play experiences, including a new state of the art Space Experience ‘Space Mission’…  [W]e can’t wait to welcome all LEGO adventurers to discover their ultimate LEGO-themed indoor creative experience!”[37]

Sieber Bulteel, Master Model Builder at LEGO® Discovery Centre Brussels, stated, “In April I won the dream job of Master Model Builder and I am delighted to be here at the opening of the brand-new LEGO Discovery Centre.  Top quality learning through play is a cornerstone of the LEGO Discovery Centre experience and I am very much looking forward to teaching all children new building techniques and challenging them creatively.”[38]

LEGO® Discovery Centre Brussels has twelve zones.[39]  Preschoolers and their families can build structures and solve puzzles in DUPLO PARK, as well as watch ducklings in the DUPLO Duck Pond.[40]  According to Merlin, BUILD ADVENTURE “is where the imagination runs wild and creative skills are put to the test.”[41]  MINI WORLD’s structures are comprised of 1,500,000 LEGO bricks.[42]  Visitors can also build skyscraper models and test them on earthquake tables.[43] In IMAGINATION EXPRESS, visitors journey “through an oversized LEGO world on an unforgettable train ride.”[44]  This adventure includes a “giant hot tub,” the “ocean,” and a trip to outer space.[45]  Visitors build Minifigures™ in CREATE YOUR MINIFIGURE from a selection of “a trillion LEGO heads, bodies, legs.”[46]  Playmakers help visitors customize structures in the CREATIVE CLUB.[47] 

Visitors meet the Master Model Builder and his team at the LEGO TREE OF IMAGINATION and get their pictures taken before they move on to THE LEGO CAFÉ, where they can both eat and “feed” a DUPLO horse in the play area.[48]   

HEROES ADVENTURE combines the LEGO® City and LEGO® NINJAGO® themes.[49]  There are both adventure and construction opportunities here.[50]  The adventure component includes a “LEGO laser maze” and a climbing wall. [51] Next comes the 4D CINEMA.[52]  There is another opportunity to meet the Master Model Builder in THE WORKSHOP.[53]  He will guide visitors through “building special LEGO structures” and impart “unique insider tips & tricks.”[54]  SPACE MISSION “is an extraordinary LEGO® tech building experience.”[55]  Visitors design, build, and digitally scan a LEGO spaceship to see it fly onscreen.[56] 

Plans for LEGO® Discovery Center Washington, D.C. Announced

As I wrote about in more detail yesterday, In February of 2022, Merlin and Philadelphia-based PREIT, a real estate development trust, announced that LEGO® Discovery Center Washington, D.C. would open in 2023 inside the shopping mall Springfield Town Center in Springfield, Virginia.[57]  [Springfield is in Fairfax County, Virginia.]  LEGO® Discovery Center Washington, D.C. will occupy a 32,000-square-foot space Springfield Town Center.[58]  It will be branded a “LEGO® Discovery Center” like the new LEGO® Discovery Centre Brussels rather than a “LEGOLAND® Discovery Center.” 

This is part of a re-branding effort on the part of Merlin that began in 2021.  It probably isn’t a coincidence that the first two indoor attractions with the new name brand are in (or near) national capitals and not simply random big cities.

“We are delighted to be opening an indoor LEGO attraction in Washington… at Springfield Town Center,” stated Meike Lippert, Merlin’s Senior Divisional Director Midway Europe and Global New Openings.[59]  “Our LEGO themed attractions have been a huge success across the globe, providing an opportunity for adults and children to spend fun and quality time together in an awesome LEGO world.  We look forward to revealing more special details over the coming months ahead to welcoming our first visitors in 2023.”[60]

“This new attraction helps PREIT achieve its goal of creating high quality purposeful places that serve as one-stop destinations for customers at a key property in a growing market,” stated Joseph F. Coradino, Chairman and C.E.O. of PREIT.  “Exceptional tenants have proven to be great catalysts throughout our portfolio and we expect that, upon opening, our trade area is expected to expand by a two hour drive time, creating success for our existing tenants and demand from others.”[61] 

Jeffrey C. McKay, Chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors,[62] stated, “We are excited to welcome this next generation LEGO® Discovery Center to Fairfax County!  It is an institution for kids of all ages where they can explore their imagination.  LEGO Discovery Center will draw families from across the region to family-friendly Springfield and will be an important contribution to the County.”[63]

ENDNOTES

---

[1] This use of the term Midway Attractions as with the old circus midway in large historic circuses (such as Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus) when such circuses traveled with tents under which they exhibited was inspired by the attractions along the Midway Plaisance at Chicago’s first World’s Fair, the World’s Columbian Exposition (1893). 

[2] Storm Ranndard, , “Legoland Discovery Centre Set for Nod,” Insider, 8 February, 2017

(https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/legoland-discovery-centre-set-for-nod) Accessed 06/20/22

See also Storm Rannard, “Approval for Birmingham Legoland Discovery Centre,” Insider, 16 February, 2017 (https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/approval-for-birminghams-legoland-discovery-centre) Accessed 07/31/22

[3] Steven Morris, “Birmingham city council to sell National Exhibition Centre,” The Guardian, 5 March 2014 (https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/mar/05/birmingham-council-sell-national-exhibition-centre-nec) Accessed 07/31/22

B.B.C. News, “Birmingham’s NEC group sold to Lloyds banking group in £307m deal,” B.B.C., 16 January, 2016 (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-30835754) Accessed 07/31/22

[4] B.B.C. News, “Birmingham’s NEC Group’ sold for £800m’,” 15 October, 2018 (https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-birmingham-45863974) Accessed 07/31/22

[5] Storm Rannard, “Approval for Birmingham Legoland Discovery Centre,” Insider, 16 February, 2017 (https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/approval-for-birminghams-legoland-discovery-centre) Accessed 07/31/22

[6] Storm Rannard, “Legoland Discovery Centre Set for Nod,” Insider, 8 February, 2017

(https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/legoland-discovery-centre-set-for-nod) Accessed 06/20/22

See also Storm Rannard, “Approval for Birmingham Legoland Discovery Centre,” Insider, 16 February, 2017 (https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/approval-for-birminghams-legoland-discovery-centre) Accessed 07/31/22

[7] Storm Rannard, “Approval for Birmingham Legoland Discovery Centre,” Insider, 16 February, 2017 (https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/approval-for-birminghams-legoland-discovery-centre) Accessed 07/31/22

[8] Storm Rannard, “Legoland Discovery Centre Set for Nod,” Insider, 8 February, 2017

(https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/legoland-discovery-centre-set-for-nod) Accessed 06/20/22

See also Storm Rannard, “Approval for Birmingham Legoland Discovery Centre,” Insider, 16 February, 2017 (https://www.insidermedia.com/news/midlands/approval-for-birminghams-legoland-discovery-centre) Accessed 07/31/22

[9] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “Merlin Entertainments – Midlands Investment,” 23 March, 2018, p. 1

[10] Ibid

[11] Ibid

[12] LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre Birmingham, “Introducing the World’s Smallest Primark,” 19 October, 2021 (https://www.legolanddiscoverycentre.com/birmingham/news/worlds-smallest-primark/)

[13] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “Merlin Entertainments confirms its UK indoor attractions will be reopened from 17 May,” 11 May, 2021, p. 1

[14] Ibid

[15] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “Legoland Discovery Centre to open in Osaka Tempozan in Spring 2015,” 23 July, 2014, p. 1

[16] Ibid

[17] Ibid

[18] Ibid

[19] Ibid

[20] Ibid

[21] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “LEGOLAND® discovery Centre Hong Kong successfully opens at K11 MUSEA,” March, 2021, p. 1

[22] Ibid

[23] Ibid

[24] Ibid

[25] Ibid

[26] Ibid

[27] Ibid

[28] Ibid

[29] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “LEGOLAND® discovery Centre Hong Kong successfully opens at K11 MUSEA,” March, 2021, p. 2

[30] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “New generation LEGO® Discovery Centres set to further strengthen Merlin Entertainments’ and the LEGO Group’s global offering,” 4 February, 2021, p. 1

[31] Ibid

[32] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “New generation LEGO® Discovery Centres set to further strengthen Merlin Entertainments’ and the LEGO Group’s global offering,” 4 February, 2021, p. 2

[33] Ibid

[34] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “The first new generation LEGO® Discovery Centre officially opens in Brussels,” 22 June, 2022, p. 1

[35] Ibid

[36] Ibid

[37] Ibid

[38] Ibid

[39] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “The first new generation LEGO® Discovery Centre officially opens in Brussels,” 22 June, 2022, p. 2

[40] Ibid

[41] Ibid

[42] Ibid

[43] Ibid

[44] Ibid

[45] Ibid

[46] Ibid

[47] Ibid

[48] Merlin Entertainments, press release, “The first new generation LEGO® Discovery Centre officially opens in Brussels,” 22 June, 2022, p. 3

[49] Ibid

[50] Ibid

[51] Ibid

[52] Ibid

[53] Ibid

[54] Ibid

[55] Ibid

[56] Ibid

[57] PREIT, press release, “PREIT and Merlin Entertainments to Bring Next Generation of LEGO® Discovery Centres to Serve the Washington DC [sic] Market at Springfield Town Center,” February, 2022, p. 1

[58] Ibid

[59] Ibid

[60] Ibid

[61] Ibid

[62] A county supervisor in Virginia is the counterpart to a county commissioner in Illinois.

[63] PREIT, “PREIT and Merlin Entertainments to Bring Next Generation of LEGO® Discovery Centres to Serve the Washington DC [sic] Market at Springfield Town Center,” February, 2022, p. 1