Cedar Fair, L.P to Acquire Paramount Parks
May 22, 2006
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SANDUSKY, OHIO -- Cedar Fair, L.P.
(NYSE: FUN), a publicly traded partnership which owns and operates seven
amusement parks and five water parks, today announced that it has signed
a definitive agreement for the acquisition of the Paramount Parks. Cedar
Fair, L.P. will acquire the stock of Paramount Parks, Inc., a wholly
owned subsidiary of CBS Corporation (NYSE: CBS) (NYSE: CBSA) for a cash
purchase price of $1.24 billion. The five Paramount Parks consist of
Canada's Wonderland near Toronto, Canada;
King's Island near Cincinnati, Ohio; King's
Dominion near Richmond, Virginia; Carowinds
near Charlotte, North Carolina; and Great
America located in Santa Clara, California. "This transaction offers a unique opportunity for us to acquire a
world-class asset portfolio," said Dick Kinzel, Cedar Fair's chairman,
president and chief executive officer. "It is not every day that we have
the chance to purchase five great family-oriented parks that fit
extremely well with our existing parks. This acquisition will provide
exciting new growth opportunities and the potential for meaningful
incremental free cash flow as we realize $20-$30 million in annual cash
flow synergies over the next 3-5 years. It will also add significant
geographic diversity to our portfolio of parks and improve our position
as one of the largest regional amusement park operators in the world." In 2005, Paramount Parks generated revenues of approximately $423
million while entertaining 12.2 million guests. Cedar Fair reported $569
million in revenues and 12.7 million guest visits. On a combined basis,
the two companies generated almost $1 billion in revenues and
entertained approximately 25 million guests in 2005. The transaction is subject to conditions, including regulatory
approval and other terms and conditions customary for transactions of
this type, and is expected to close during the third quarter. Further
details were not disclosed. Cedar Fair was advised by Bear, Stearns & Co. Inc. and Rothschild,
Inc., and Bear Stearns is providing $2.0 billion in committed financing
in support of the transaction. Squire, Sanders & Dempsey provided legal
counsel to Cedar Fair. Cedar Fair's seven amusement parks are
Cedar Point, located on Lake Erie between Cleveland and Toledo;
Knott's Berry Farm near Los Angeles in
Buena Park, California; Dorney Park &
Wildwater Kingdom near Allentown, Pennsylvania;
Valleyfair near Minneapolis/St.
Paul, Minnesota; Worlds of Fun, located in
Kansas City, Missouri; Geauga Lake & Wildwater
Kingdom near Cleveland, Ohio; and Michigan's
Adventure near Muskegon, Michigan. The Partnership's water parks are
located near San Diego and in Palm Springs, California, and adjacent to
Cedar Point,
Knott's Berry Farm and Worlds of Fun.
Cedar Fair also owns and operates the Castaway Bay Indoor Waterpark
Resort in Sandusky, Ohio. Cedar Fair's flagship park,
Cedar Point, has been voted the "Best
Amusement Park in the World" for eight consecutive years in a
prestigious annual poll conducted by Amusement Today newspaper.
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