EQT is preparing to sell its controlling stake in Parques Reunidos. JPMorgan will manage the process, which values the holding at about €1.7 billion.
EQT is preparing to sell its controlling stake in Parques Reunidos in a deal valued at about €1.7 billion. The Swedish private equity firm has appointed JPMorgan to manage the process. The move could bring a major change in ownership for one of Spain's best-known leisure operators.
The sale has not been completed. Expansión cited market sources in reporting the planned disposal and the bank chosen to handle it. Reuters also reported the proposed €1.7 billion deal. It said the process is still at an early stage and that no buyer has been identified.
EQT obtained control of Parques Reunidos in 2019 through a public offer and the Piolin BidCo structure. The proposed sale therefore represents a potential exit from an existing investment, not a new acquisition.
Parques Reunidos runs dozens of theme parks, zoos and water parks across Europe. Its assets include Parque Warner and Parque de Atracciones de Madrid. The company therefore has a broad presence in the European leisure market, rather than relying on a single site.
The shareholder structure shows the scale of the proposed deal. EQT controls about 51% to 52% of Parques Reunidos. Corporación Financiera Alba owns 25%, while Belgian investment fund Groep Brussel Lambert controls the remaining 23%.
EQT's controlling stake gives it the central role in any ownership change.
Spanish media have mentioned Merlin Entertainments and Compagnie des Alpes as possible interested parties. These names remain market speculation rather than confirmation of negotiations, and neither a buyer nor definitive transaction terms has been disclosed.
JPMorgan's appointment gives the process a named financial adviser. The available information does not identify a buyer or say whether the other shareholders plan to sell. The reported valuation refers to the stake EQT is marketing and is also put at about 1.9 billion dollars.
Neither EQT nor Parques Reunidos has issued an official comment in the available reports. The current picture is based on market sources and media coverage, not on a company announcement or a completed regulatory filing.
The deal would involve a company spread across several leisure formats and European markets. Its portfolio includes theme parks, zoological sites and water parks. Parque Warner and Parque de Atracciones de Madrid are two of its most prominent Spanish assets.
EQT has also appeared in an earlier market report about a joint bid for Acciona Energía. In the Parques Reunidos case, the reported move is the sale of an existing controlling stake, not an announced acquisition.
The proposed sale comes as EQT remains active in Spain. Expansión separately reported that EQT had completed the acquisition of Urbaser with Blackstone for €5.6 billion during the same week. That deal offers wider context for the firm's current activity in the Spanish market.
The facts available so far establish the seller, the adviser, the estimated value and the shareholder breakdown. They do not establish the buyer or the final terms.
For Parques Reunidos, the immediate issue is ownership. There is no stated change to its parks or operating model. For EQT, the reported decision puts a valuable leisure asset into a formal sale process. Until a buyer and definitive agreement are disclosed, the €1.7 billion figure remains the market valuation attached to the proposed deal, not the value of a completed sale.
