Canadian Billionaire Jimmy Pattison has bought out the Guinness World Records book from Britain's HIT Entertainment for a sale sum of $180 million. Jim Pattison Group holdings already include Ripley Entertainment Inc., which has operated Guinness Word Records attractions for more than a decade. The coming together of Guinness World Records and Ripley's Believe It or Not! Creates an historic combination of the world-leading authorities on records and record-breaking according to Pattison. There are six Guinness World Records museums in Tokyo, Japan; Niagara Falls, Canada; Hollywood, California; San Antonio, Texas; Gatlinburg, Tennessee and in Copenhagen, Denmark.

It is worth noting that Ripley operates auditoriums worldwide, as well as broadcasting and publishing divisions. Jim Pattison Group is Canada's third largest private company in automotive, media, packaging, food sales and distribution, entertainment and financial sectors. According to the Forbes magazine, Jim Pattison is the world's richest person and Canada's eighth richest, worth $3.8 billion. The Guinness World Records has developed its annual book into an international phenomenon published in more than 100 countries and in 37 languages.