THE man who helped turn The Beatles Story into one of Liverpool’s top tourist attractions is to retire.
Jerry Goldman, 67, will be stepping down at the end of the month after 12 years in the managing director role.
The announcement came just months after transport authority Merseytravel, which owns The Beatles Story, revealed it was carrying out a review into the attraction.
Mr Goldman insisted he was not being pushed out of the business which he sold to Merseytravel in 2008.
He said he wants to spend more time with his 20 grandchildren and was proud to have overseen The Beatles Story’s growth during the past 12 years.
Merseytravel revealed in October it was conducting a review into the attraction, which it acquired for £8m.
A dossier authored by Labour councillors at the authority last year said Mr Goldman was paid £2,000 a month as a consultant on top of a salary of £70,000.
Additionally, it also claimed that if the transport authority wanted to terminate his contract it had to give 12 months’ notice. The dossier noted that this was “strange but true”.
There is no suggestion Mr Goldman did anything wrong.
It is understood Mr Goldman has signed a compromise agreement with Merseytravel and will receive less than the £94,000 he was entitled to under that deal.
Mr Goldman said: “It has been a great honour to manage The Beatles Story.
“It has been a delight to be part of The Beatles Story for the past 12 years.
“Its success is due to its world-class team and I wish them all continued success and enjoyment.”
The numbers visiting The Beatles Story have grown fivefold during Mr Goldman’s tenure and now it attracts more than 250,000 people annually. Cllr Liam Robinson, chairman of Merseytravel, said: “Jerry Goldman has played a key role in the management of one of the region’s leading attractions.
“We thank him for his work over the years and wish him well for the future.”
In October, Merseytravel said it was going over the attraction’s budget with a “fine toothcomb” to make sure it was value for money.
The day after that announcement, Mr Goldman defended its running, which had seen its recorded profits slump since the Merseytravel takeover. He said The Beatles Story added between £300,000 and £500,000 to Merseytravel’s coffers each year.
