PAG invests $250m in Universal Studios Japan

According to a release, PAG will be backing Glenn Gumpel, the chairman and CEO of USJ. Established in 1994, the company operates Universal Studios in Osaka, which opened in 2001 and is one of four movie-themed Universal Studio parks globally. Last year the park had its 100 millionth visitor, with around 9.7 million people visiting in the 2012 fiscal year.

The park's attractions are arranged in nine themed areas. The company intends to use the new capital to develop a tenth area - The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - as well as expand into other parts of Asia. The company currently has JPY31.2 billion ($301 million) in capital according to its website.

Goldman Sachs previously invested $180 billion in the company back in 2005. It returned in 2009 to lead a consortium - which included MBK, Owl Creek and Gumpel - to acquire a majority stake at an enterprise valuation of $1.4 billion. This latest investment was made via PAG Asia I, a $2.5 billion vehicle which reached a final close in September 2012.

"Universal Studios Japan has been a great turnaround story over the last eight years, thanks to the efforts of the company's first rate management team and the investor group led by Goldman Sachs," said Weijian Shan, chairman and chief executive of PAG. "PAG is proud to be joining this group and helping the Company in its next phase of growth and development."

He added that USJ's strong management team, dominant position in the Japanese theme park market and plans for expansion make it a very attractive investment for PAG. 

• Tweet  
• Facebook  
• LinkedIn  
• Google plus  
• Save this article  
• Send to  

• Topics
• North Asia
• Buyout
• Consumer
• Japan
• Consumer
• PAG