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The closest thing to a live-action Lego movie might just be on a New York City block.
Lego’s new NYC flagship, a project that was put on the back burner thanks to the pandemic, opens today. We got a sneak peek, and the toy company’s brick and mortar strategy is clear: experiential retail, of course.
Press play: The two-story, 7,175-square-foot space is full of...you guessed it...Legos. The first floor is decked out with a full-size NYC taxi made of Legos, plus the Statue of Liberty, the Hulk, and an 880,000-block “Tree of Discovery” centerpiece. It’s also outfitted with interactive elements for kids and parents, such as...
- Brick Lab, a virtual reality room where kids immerse themselves in different Lego worlds. (It costs $15, so budget accordingly, parents.)
- Designing your own Lego character in the store’s Minifigure Factory. Or opt for a digital version via Mosaic Maker, a photo booth that Lego-izes your image.
Travis Blue, Lego’s VP of retail in the Americas, told Retail Brew the company’s experiential stores focus on four things: creation, design, personalization, and play.
- "If we have someone who is looking at the Mosaic Maker, they may have all the expert sets, but they’re like, 'I’ve never done something for me,'" Blue said. “So now for the first time, they’re actually doing a portrait of themselves. That creates the conversion.”
Building blocks: All the interactive pieces of the new format are modular, so they can be replicated.
- Lego Group plans to open 120 stores in 2021, which will feature elements of the NYC flagship.
- Existing stores will also be upgraded, and even third-party retailers can join the fun.
Not everyone is going to walk out with a new set of bricks, and that’s OK. The playful nature of the store builds the brand, Maddie Michalik, senior editor for Toy Insider, told us.
- “The fact that people are immersing themselves in all the experiences Lego put in this flagship store—that’s almost just as valuable,” she said. “It might serve as a chain reaction for more people to want to come.”
Zoom out: Experiential retail can make sense post-pandemic. This also applies to toys, Michalik told Retail Brew, despite the e-comm boom. “As much as the industry has relied on online sales last year, I think that brick and mortar will not go away, especially when we’re talking about experiential retail.”—KM