| |
First a possible move to china!
…Now the chance of a takeover?
WoW, the future of our beloved brick should certainly be interesting...
Astoundedly,
--==Richard==--
In lugnet.lego, Abner Finley wrote:
| |
Family likely to lose control of the LEGO® set
By Harry Wallop (Telegraph.co.uk)
LEGO is suffering from a severe case of subsidence, an affliction that can
destroy even the sturdiest foundations. The manufacturer of the iconic toy
bricks, loved by generations of children, is in serious financial difficulty,
despite yesterday being voted once again the nation’s favourite toy.
|
| |
The Kristiansens remain sole shareholders, but a foreign takeover looks an
increasing possibility with none of the fourth generation of the family, all
in their twenties, working for the company.
The new chief executive, 35-year-old Jorgen Vig Knudstorp, admitted he was
daunted by the challenge to keep LEGO independent. “Yes, a takeover is a
possibility. The industry is ready for consolidation but the family don’t
think LEGO should lead it.”
He is not that surprised by LEGO fall from grace. He said: “The concept -
brick construction - is such a pure concept and if you try to sex it up by
adding accessories or tying in with Hollywood movies it jusn’t feel right.”
Mr Knudstorp admits forays into making LEGO computer games, pencils and golf
balls was “silly”. He insists however that children are still interested in
playing. “Blaming the TV or computer is a poor excuse.
A YouGov poll into the top ten favourite toys of the past century published
yesterday voted LEGO as the clear winner, closely followed by computer games
and consoles, teddy bears, Meccano and train sets. The survey was
commissioned to coincide with the launch of an exhibition of the most
sought-after toys over the past century which opens today at the Museum of
Childhood in Bethnal Green, east London. Lego has axed 1,000 of its
8,000-strong workforce and cut of Dkr1.2bn (£112m) from its cost base this
year. It is in talks to move more of its production to China.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2004/10/23/cnlego23.xm
-end of report-
|
|
|
1 Message in This Thread:
- Entire Thread on One Page:
- Nested:
All | Brief | Compact | Dots
Linear:
All | Brief | Compact
|
|
|
|
