Hopi Hari creditors approve recovery plan with investment forecast of BRL 150 million

The general meeting of creditors of Hopi Hari held this Wednesday (2), ended at 22:22, almost ten hours after it started. “For those who like numerology, it’s a full plate”, jokes the park’s president, Alexandre Rodrigues.

In an interview with leafthe executive says that the moment was historic, because the park, in judicial recovery since August 2016, took the first steps to restructure.

The recovery plan was accepted at a meeting that included the participation of BNDES, SLW, Prevhab and Mirai, which together account for approximately 90% of the debt, of approximately R$500 million.

The plan includes a commitment by the main shareholder, the private equity fund Brooklyn Investimentos, which owns 74% of the park, to invest BRL 150 million between 2022 and 2026 in the expansion and modernization of the venture.

The restructuring proposal, however, still needs to be approved by judge Fábio Marcelo Holanda, of the 1st Civil Court of the Vinhedo Forum (SP), where the park is based.

The park’s president says that the controller does not rule out the sale of Hopi Hari, located in a region that has become strategic for the entertainment market in Brazil.

In November, São Paulo governor João Doria (PSDB) signed a decree that created the Serra Azul Tourist District, which encompasses a complex of theme parks and shopping centers between the cities of Jundiaí, Itupeva, Louveira and Vinhedo. Doria predicts that the region can attract investments of R$ 1.8 billion in five years.

The decree creates a management council with representatives from the state, municipal administrations and civil society to boost tourism in the region, with the potential to become a “Brazilian Disney”.

Hence the fact that Hopi Hari has become an asset of interest to large entertainment companies, such as Beto Carrero and Playcenter, which at the end of last year made a move to approach the park’s creditors, before the approval of the recovery plan. judicial.

“But now, with the plan receiving the approval of the Justice, whoever wants to take the park will have to pay at least R$ 500 million”, says Rodrigues. “The Hopi Hari is worth over R$1 billion,” she says. According to him, the park earned BRL 98 million last year and recorded a profit of BRL 12 million.

Anyway, says the executive, the current controllers have no interest in getting rid of the park so soon: they intend to see the asset appreciate in value in the coming years, including with the planned investments.

Asked if the resources should be directed to the park’s maintenance – on December 11, the lock of a roller coaster in the park came loose with the ride in motion –, Rodrigues says that maintenance is carried out periodically and the fact it was an isolated case.

“We ordered an advanced x-ray of the locks and the train started working again. We are in contact with the supplier PTC, from Philadelphia [EUA]to try to understand what happened”, he says.