Mertin Entertainments Group Ltd would be going public in a GBP 200 million or USD 324 million initial public offering in London. Backed by private equity firms Blackstone Group, CVC Capital Partners and Kirkbi, Merlin owns Madame Tussauds and the London Eye. It also runs Legoland parks which are 75% owned by Kirkbi. A portion of the proceeds from the IPO would used to repay the company's debt.

Three years ago, Merlin decided not to push through with a planned IPO but sold stake to CVC instead. Sources also told Bloomberg that the firm decided against holding an initial public offering in New York earlier in 2013.

In a statement, Merlin said about its planned share sale, "The directors of Merlin believe that the global offer will position Merlin for the next stage of its development by providing the appropriate long-term ownership structure. The global offer will also assist the group in retaining and incentivising employees."