Disneyland Paris survives to live another day thanks to investment from TWDC
Looks like I will get to take that Disneyland Paris vacation after all. No one seriously expected the Walt Disney Company (or France for that matter) to let the park close. With around 15,000 employees and 15 million yearly visitors, it’s a huge boost to the French economy. In addition to a black-eye for Disney, a closure would spell bad things for an economy, which is, admittedly, at the beginning of a delicate recovery. That just wasn’t going to happen.
The park debt, much of it the result of building too many hotels when the park opened, has been an albatross around the resorts neck since its beginning. Multiple refinancings and capital investment have floated the park through restructurings that the company hoped would finally put it in the black.
Early this morning, Euro Disney SAS, the parent company of Disneyland Paris, sent out a letter to its shareholders announcing yet another debt restructuring and capital investment. They also released this oddly optimistic explanation from Mark Stead, SVP and CFO of Euro Disney:
Yes, that’s a $1.25 billion recapitalization of the company (think of it as a mini-bankruptcy, we’re increasing the number of shares, which makes your shares worth less, but less is better than none, which would result in a full bankruptcy).
The details were outlined in a letter sent to Shareholders from the recently appointed President of Euro Disney SAS Tom Wolber:
Read More »Disneyland Paris survives to live another day thanks to investment from TWDC