Lappset Group Acquires Majority Stake in Finnish Design Company

Finnland-based Lappset Group, primarily known as manufacturer of playground and fitness equipment, wants to strengthen its theme park expertise by acquiring a majority stake in the Finnish design company Fantasia Works Ltd. The closing of the takeover agreement took place yesterday (3 September 2018). Fantasia Works is already the fourteenth subsidiary of the Lappset Group. The design company will continue to operate under its existing name and retain its workforce (20 employees) at its company site in Kuopio in eastern Finnland. The company specialises in the design and construction of themed play equipment, interactive games and props.

“With this deal, a new chapter begins for Fantasia Works enabling us to be involved in the global growth of the theme park sector, something we probably couldn’t have succeeded in doing alone. Together we form a combination that is one of the world’s finest in themed activity parks,” says founder and creative director of Fantasia Works, Jere Ruotsalainen. Johan Granholm, director of the Lappset Creative division, adds: “The past twelve months we have faced strong growth and globalization within Lappset Creative. Today, we are designing and building indoor parks for Merlin Entertainments in China and the USA [cp. EAP news f. 15 May 2018]. In addition, there is an ever-increasing demand for our services in Europe. We have worked together with Fantasia Works since year 2012. When we made the decision to invest in enhancing our own resources and expertise, it was only natural for us to first turn to the owners of Fantasia Works Oy. We perfectly complement each other’s expertise and this deal enables us to realize our growth potential.”

Most recently, the two companies worked together on the realization of the new indoor park Mattel Play! Sevenum in De Schatberg, the Netherlands (cp. EAP news f. 25 April 2017). Read more about this project in one of our upcoming magazine issues. (eap)