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Six Flags Conference Call Details, 6 Parks Possibly For Sale


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^^Its not the pay its the job in general i do what i like and i like what i do

and many supervisors make more than 100 grand tell me where you make a 100 grand with a high school diploma.

 

Who the hell is making more than 100 grand at SFMM with just a high school diploma?

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Tussuards isn't the biggest theme park company in Europe anymore, Grevin & Cie are, I think they own about 18 European parks, including all the Walibi Parks and Pleasurewood Hills in the UK, maybe they could see this as an oppertunity to expand world wide?

 

Just a thought.

 

-Martyn

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...

 

I have recently been wondering why the Tussauds Group (Alton Towers, Chessington Worlds of Adventure, Thorpe parkl, Heide Park) doesn't own any Theme parks in America? After all Tussauds already has a Wax Museum here in New York. I know someone answered this before but I can't remember the reason.

 

Laws and regulations differ greatly from country to country. This, along with cultural differences makes it difficult for most companies to expand internationally.

 

If it were sold, I'd expect it to be picked up (rides and all) by a private group of investors, such as Kingdom Holding. KHC already owns a 24% stake in Disneyland Paris, and has the experience and knowledge to turn Magic Mountain into a profitable business. Here is a quote from their site:

 

"When Disneyland-Paris opened in 1992 at the Marne la Valle’e, the fledgling resort failed to attract the expected crowds. With share prices dropping to an attractive low, Prince Alwaleed came to the rescue. A year later in June 1995, the company announced its first profitable quarterly figures and by September 1998, Disneyland-Paris saw a staggering 34 percent increase in net income, reconfirming EuroDisney’s unrivaled position as Europe’s premier theme park attraction."

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But Cedar Fair already owns a park in SoCal. And apparently, they own one in NoCal, now, too. If they bought MM they would own most of California.

 

Well, they already own all of the parks in my state (Ohio) except for Wyandot Lake and Coney Island Cincinnati. Personally, SFMM has a good collection of coasters, but as a theme park I was dissapointed in it. I thought it was supposed to be the flagship park for Six Flags, and the park just felt like it was thrown together by a 12-year old (no offense for anyone of that age) in RCT. Tons of big coasters, but no themed areas or flats really. Also, Scream is still standing on a parking lot, with the lines still there! I'm sorry, but SFMM just isn't that great compared to a lot of parks I've been to. Scary to say it, but CP is doing a lot better job IMO than SFMM, and that's sad. I highly doubt CF would purchase SFMM, as they already unloaded way more money than they planned on with the purchase of paramount parks. (Everyone on the inside who clued me in to the sale a month before it happend made it clear to me CF only wanted PKI, but paramount would only sell the entire chain as a package deal.) Speaking of that, I expect CF will try and sell some of the paramount parks in the coming years, and SFMM isn't really a threat to them coaster wise. Anyone can build a bunch of coasters and claim they have more than CP, but if some of the coasters aren't operating from day-to-day, that doesn't count IMO. i.e. flashback should never be counted as one of SFMM's coasters. Besides, when you look at the investment CF is putting into CP next year, not to mention improvements to other parks in their own chain, why would they pick up somebody else's problem. It's clear to me after they purchased SFWofAdv (Geauga Lake) and bought the paramount chain for PKI, that CF really wanted the Ohio market. Knotts does okay for them, but I doubt SFMM and Knotts would fit together in direct competition with Disney and Universal. The closest competitor to the ohio parks are Kennywood, the Indiana parks, and SFKK. 3 small parks and one of the most boring parks in the SF chain.

-James "sorry about the long post" Dillaman

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Oh, and I personally think they are just dangling the sale of SFMM out there to entice investors with the possibility of a $500 million influx of cash...I don't think they are going to sell a park that is already profitable, sits in such a huge market as LA, and also sits on land that is only going to get more valuable as time goes on.

 

Er, Joe, the stock took a pretty sizable dive on this announcement. (It was practically a penny stock to begin with.) I don't think the investors like som of the ideas in this announcement, and I think that will be reflected in the actions that follow. I don't think MM is going anywhere, but it could be in for some type of rebranding, (a removal of the 6F name, but not actually sold.)

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Well this is kinda a punch in the gut at this time of day...

 

I hadn't heard about this before and now I find the Elitches could be closing... Plus Magic Mountain that I want to visit now that Tatsu is open...

 

I honestly knew that something was coming as they were gonna have to try something radical to get back to treading water... I'm just really not sure what the future will hold though as if Elitches gets closed we are down to almost nothing anywhere near here...

 

I honestly can't imagine that the city of Denver would allow the site to just be sold... It has got to be about the only regular family entertainment draw to the Downtown area...

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I think it's pretty safe to say that, even if it is sold, SFMM will stay a themepark.

 

If it HAS to be sold, im sure somebody in the amusement industry would want it. Besides, i don't see that land being very valuable as anything else. Its not like you can build a mall or houses on that hill.

 

Well, i guess it's just time to sit tack and watch what happens.

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Wouldn't you think B&M would be mad if they tore Tatsu down?

 

Maybe not make anymore coasters for the sixflags parks if they think their just going to get torn down in the same year they are open?

 

They already got payed for it. I'm pretty sure they could care less.

 

 

 

ALSO, wouldn't Tatsu and Revolution look great with Mickey ears?

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Wouldn't you think B&M would be mad if they tore Tatsu down?

 

Maybe not make anymore coasters for the sixflags parks if they think their just going to get torn down in the same year they are open?

 

Why would they be mad? They got paid! Plus - I'm sure it would get moved to another park and rebranded if the park was closed.. but I feel like a few others do. This was just a feeler to get the excitement up around the other possible sales.

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But if that one park doesn't and can't easily be made to fit the "New" Six Flags strategy, and it's worth A LOT of money, why not sell it?

 

They still have $2 Billion in debts to pay. It's like surgery, you have to cut in order to cure. Amputating SFMM might be what saves all of Six Flags, and when you are trying to create a "family" park in the shadow of Disneyland, the amount of money required to make that transformation would never see ROI. Shapiro has facts and figures we can only guess at.

 

On top of that, this may even just be a bluff...basically extortion. Maybe it's "lower our taxes and give us incentives to keep these parks open or we'll close them". Many communities rely on these parks to help lower their taxes, and without the parks the tax increases residents would see would be astronomical. If the communities agree to tax incentives, suddenly the parks become a lot more profitable for SF to run, and the taxpayers only see modest increases.

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Some people may not have read the actual statement(s) from the press release/webcast call. I will post it here so some of the posters can get the gist of it.

Credit link: Six Flags site

http://investors.sixflags.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=61629&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=875468&highlight=

 

While many of us would like to see the park stay, it may very well stay or it may not. No one here (or even industry analysts) can give a concrete answer based on the fact that 6F is in an "exploratory mode".

 

*** Following a comprehensive review of the Company's assets, Six Flags, Inc. (NYSE: SIX) today announced its decision to explore potential strategic options with respect to six of its properties. ****

 

Read closer into this statement as well:

 

***Although the Company cannot predict when, or if, any specific transaction will occur with respect to these properties, potential options include a sale of the parks as going concerns in a single transaction or a series of transactions, dismantling and re-utilizing certain rides and attractions and selling the underlying land for real estate development purposes, as well as other potential alternatives.

 

The park chain is not basing their decision over a group of coaster enthusiasts (which is a minimal number compared to their actual market of attracting families). The park chain is considering their options based on the fact that:

1. MM (park) does NOT appear to appeal to the corporate strategy the park wants in attracting "family-oriented" business. The costs may be too great in rebranding the (MM) parks image.

2. Satisfy the shareholders! This is one of the primary reasons in 'potentially' selling off the parks listed in the report. This move would more than likely be designed to generate cash flow to reduce their massive debt and (if any available cash leftover) place the influx into their remaining parks (and market). The park chain can focus on the remaining properties and rebrand them into the corporate image they desire. I would add that Six Flags N.O. may also be added to the list as well (perhaps by their next proxi-meeting/report).

3. Staffing- the very nature in the comments in finding quality staff, seasonal and mid-level supervisors/management, will no doubt play a major role in their decision. Assuming that they are trying to address the issue is already an indication their is a problem within this market (MM) and labor costs, benefits, etc. are increasing every year. Can 6F (or MM) sustain that growth in tapping into quality talent/employees? And, generate a profit while catering towards families? It will be a constante uphill battle and may take several years to get to that level they desire.

 

As far as potential suitors? I wouldn't mind A-B taking over the MM park and add to their portfolio within the CA market. Perhaps they could also increase their brand (alcohol/recycling/other ventures) name into the marketshare. If that scenario comes true, expect ALOT of changes to occur (especially landscaping/beautification and increased ride uptimes/management-quality, etc).

CF-I doubt that the park chain would purchase MM (or any of the other parks listed), but stranger things have happened.

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Well if Bill Gates kids likes coasters perhaps we can get his daddy to buy it!

 

Either way I sure as hell hope it gets bought and not turned into more track housing.

 

I think if Shapiro was playing his cards right he would not throw away a potential huge revenue stream for a short term cash infusion.

Los Angeles county and surrounding areas has a HUGE population. One of the biggest and best roller coaster amusement parks is already built up, they just need to tap into the market properly, while fixing up the park and treating there guests and employees properly.

 

Perhaps Cedar Fair should sell Knotts to Disney, let Disney have a 3rd gate+water park. Then have CF buy MM.

 

Just do anything to keep MM alive!

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i guess i better start packing if the park is sold to a houseing developer i will take my family and leave santa clarita cause my brothers and i wont have anywhere to go and have fun we would have to take a 1hr drive to knotts or disney for the fix we need but you guys understand six flags leases the land the park is on so the land is not theirs to sell anyway it belongs to exxon oil co.

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^Well then why don't you just post all of this and then logically connect everything a stabel prediction of what could happen instead of continually adding on information after people poke holes in your post?

 

Also, I'm sure there are other ways to have fun other than Six Flags....

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