Legoland Shanghai to anchor shopping mall

Merlin Entertainments will open its first Legoland in China at Parkside Plaza shopping centre in Shanghai.

Plans and designs are already in place for the 3000 sqm attraction and construction of Legoland Shanghai will start soon, with its opening scheduled for 2016.

Owned by UK-based Grosvenor Fund Management, Parkside Plaza is located on the Suzhou Riverbank adjacent to the Changfeng Park. With a total floor area of 126,000 sqm, it is home to international brands including Tesco, H&M, Uniqlo and C&A and a variety of entertainment including HB Cinema, Vigor-100 KTV and Hani rock climbing space. And soon it will be home to Legoland Shanghai.

The Legoland Discovery Center is a unique indoor attraction offering an interactive and educational two to three hour experience specifically designed for families with children aged three to 10. It consists of a range of Lego play areas including brick pool, Lego Factory Tour, Lego model car racing area, master classes from the Lego master model builder; party rooms, a Lego themed ride, a 4D cinema and Miniland – an exhibit featuring replicas of Shanghai landmarks made from Lego bricks.

James Raynor, GFM CEO, said the Legoland tenancy reaffirms the company’s strategy of making Parkside Plaza one of the region’s best family-oriented shopping destinations.

“Legoland Discovery Center is a globally recognised family entertainment brand that will deliver a fantastic leisure experience for our visitors and add to the appeal of Parkside Plaza.”

Glenn Earlam, MD of Merlin’s Midway Attractions Operating Group said the 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 Shanghai.”

Lego models for the Shanghai attraction will be made in Merlin’s specialist studios around the world and shipped in during construction.

GFM currently has £3.2 billion of assets under management across Asia, North America and Europe. The retail sector is a strategic focus across these regions and 73 per cent of the international portfolio is retail assets. This includes Liverpool One in the UK, a portfolio of 31 historical buildings in the heart of Lyon, France and the recently acquired Skarholmen shopping centre in Stockholm, Sweden.