Malaysia theme park operator seeks Singapore listing to fund Shandong attraction

(Oct 10): Sim Leisure is planning a Singapore initial public offering of its Malaysian theme park business, which offers water slides, dunk tanks and tree swings at its Penang location.

A sale of new and existing shares could raise about $10 million to $12 million, said Sim Choo Kheng, the company’s founder and chief executive officer. Proceeds from the deal, which could take place by January, will be used to fund a new park in eastern China’s Shandong province, he said in an Oct 8 interview in Singapore.

Sim Leisure is betting that traditional childhood activities like tree climbing, which the Malaysian park offers, will prove attractive elsewhere in Asia, he said. The company’s park avoids intense rides like roller coasters and instead seeks to recreate simple pleasures children used to enjoy in a natural environment, according to Sim, who grew up climbing trees and splashing in the river during his childhood in a village in Penang.

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