Subject:
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News article about Imagination Centers
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.general
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Date:
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Fri, 10 Mar 2000 21:37:54 GMT
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Viewed:
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3059 times
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There was an article in the business section of the San Diego Union-Tribune
today(March 10) about LEGO planning to open more Imagination Center stores
across the country(ONE NOTE: not where yet!). Here it is:
"Lego to build brand with Imagination Center stores"
By Mike Freeman, San Diego Union-Tribune
CARLSBAD-The Lego Co., whose name means 'play well,' is about to enter an
arena where they play rough.
The Denmark based maker of plastic building blocks plans to open more than a
dozen Lego Imagination Center retail stores in major U.S. markets . the
retail rolllout will be led by Lego's Global Family Attractions division,
which has headquarters in Carlsbad near the company's theme park.
'We hope to have 12 to 15 Imagination Centers in the next 12 to 36 months',
said Bill Haviluk, president of Lego's Global Family Attractions.'There's
been a gradual movement over time to become more entertainment-oriented in
retail, and Lego brings a great demographic to any retail environment.'
Lego hopes to open two to four stores this year. While exploring all major
U.S. markets, it plan to focus on what Haviluk called 'festival malls',
which draw a mix of tourists as well as resident shoppers. Lego did not
identify any specific cities being considered.
For cerebral, privately owned Lego, the foray into retail could be like
leaping into a rugby scrum. According to analysts, toy retailers are being
jostled by competition -not only from upstart e-commerce toy sellers but
also from Wall-Mart, Target, and other mass merchants who have made toy
sales a priority.
'There is always room in the market, but the issue right now is that the
retail toy industry is not doing particularly well,' said Brent Rystrom, an
analyst with U.S. Bancorp Piper Jaffray in Minneapolis. 'I would challenge
you to find any toy retailer that's doing well.'
Haviluk contends that Lego did its homework, opening test stores before
launching a retail rollout.
In 1992, Lego unveiled an Imagination Center at Minnesota's behemoth Mall of
America. Two years ago, it set up a similar store at a Disney retail
complex in Orlando, Fla. the company also dabbled in outlet malls, opening
stores last year in Virginia and Georgia.
In the end, Lego chose the Imagination Center concept. Large by mall
standards -each store is 4000 to 5000 square feet- Imagination Centers are
like miniature theme parks. Packed with play areas for kids and elaborate
Lego-brick displays, they're designed to make shoppers say 'Wow, that's what
I could do if I only had 50,000 bricks', Haviluk said.
Rystrom, the father of three young children, takes his kids to the Lego
Imagination Center at Mall of America. 'It's a place for kids to play for 15
to 20 minutes after you've been shopping for a couple of hours,' he said. 'I
would say 80 to 90 percent of the people who go there don't buy anything.
It's set up for kids to play.'
But the store also shines a spotlight on the Lego name. In industry
parlance, it's called brand building. Imagination Centers 'are a huge Lego
billboard, if you will,' said Haviluk, and brick sales increase in towns
near stores.
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Message has 4 Replies:
 | | Re: News article about Imagination Centers
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| In lugnet.general, Adrian Egli writes: <<Snip>> (...) I hope that doesn't mean that the "dabbling" started at the Lego Outlet Malls is going to stop! Go ahead with the LIC's but don't mess with the Outlets. PLEASE! Chris <>< (24 years ago, 11-Mar-00, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: News article about Imagination Centers
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| (...) If they want to open 12-15 centres, these are the cities I would look for them in (all guesses, though some have been previously confirmed). They are all attract quite a few tourist, and, for the most part, have the so- called "festival (...) (24 years ago, 11-Mar-00, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: News article about Imagination Centers
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| (...) San Fransisco, New York City, Dallas, and Chicago have been confirmed. No exact sites in those cities have been determined, yet, as far as I know, though. Jeff, "Thallid Lord" Save the Whales! I may get hungry later... :) ICQ #66153738 (URL) (24 years ago, 11-Mar-00, to lugnet.general)
| | | Re: News article about Imagination Centers
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| In lugnet.general, Adrian Egli writes: <snip1> (...) <snip2> One question: Where is LEGO going to get good people to work at all these stores? The job market is tight, LEGO is too cheap to pay people competitive wages, there aren't enough adult LEGO (...) (24 years ago, 13-Mar-00, to lugnet.general)
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