Retail News - what’s happening on the retail scene

First LEGO store in Ireland to open in summer

The LEGO Group will open its first store in Ireland, on Grafton Street in Dublin, this summer.

The shop will debut the company’s new ‘Retailtainment’ concept, which blends physical and digital immersive play experiences in-store.

These include: the Minifigure Factory, which allows visitors to design and create a unique LEGO Minifigure; LEGO Expression, where visitors can have fun with LEGO Minifigures who mimic their facial expressions; LEGO Pick a Brick Wall, for fans to select the exact elements they require for their builds; Hands-on Play opportunities, including free build challenges and events each month; Build a Minifigure Tower for mixing and matching from a wide selection of bottoms, tops, heads, hair pieces and accessories to customise minifigures; and exclusive 3D LEGO models inspired by Dublin and Irish culture.

There will also be benefits for LEGO VIP members including exclusive VIP gifts with purchase, double points events and more. The store will offer the full range of new products only available direct from LEGO stores and shop.lego.com including the likes of LEGO Boutique Hotel and LEGO Ideas Earth Globe.

Simone Sweeney, vice president of global LEGO retail development, said: “We have been looking for the perfect site in Dublin, so we were very excited when the opportunity came about to open on vibrant Grafton Street. The city has been part of LEGO retail’s expansion strategy for many years. We are also excited to be revealing the new LEGO retail platform in this market with retail-first experiences and a destination for product launches and events and a hub for our Irish LEGO fan community.”

Bargain Max marks LEGO Day

In a OnePoll survey of 2,000 UK adults commissioned by Bargainmax.co.uk, LEGO came first in the list of ‘top toys every child should own’, beating products such as Play Doh, Connect 4 and Rubik’s Cube to the top spot.

To celebrate International LEGO Day on January 28, the online toy retailer revealed some of the LEGO sets flying off its virtual shelves, including LEGO Friends Heartlake City Grand Hotel, LEGO City Fire Command Unit, LEGO Minecraft Fox Lodge, and the LEGO Minecraft Mushroom House. Eli Haffner, digital marketing specialist at BargainMax.co.uk, said: “LEGO is one of the most universally loved toys, and is a consistently popular choice for kids and adults alike.’’

Target Australia launches Early Learning Centre in-store and online

Addo Play (part of TEAL Group Holdings) has announced a multi-year partnership between Australian retailer Target Australia and the award-winning British toy and early years development brand Early Learning Centre. This collaboration will see Early Learning Centre’s best-selling toys in multi-bay shop-in-shops in all of Target’s 120 stores across Australia. The in-store activity will include full ELC branded point of sale. Alongside this, there will also be an Early Learning Centre online brand page on Target.com.au and on the Target app, available in the App Store for Easter.

The launch will initially feature 95 preschool products across core categories including Baby, Toddler, Imagination, Learning and Creativity. To help children explore their Imagination, there are the Rosebud, Let’s Pretend and Let’s Pretend Wood ranges, and to encourage Learning there are options introducing children to have fun with learning games or to fuel their Creativity with arts & crafts toys.

Poll reveals most-loved toys and games of all time

A nationwide poll of 1,500 UK residents, commissioned by toy retailer The Entertainer in conjunction with its Big Home Rehoming campaign and conducted by Perspectus Global, has revealed a list of the most-adored toys and games from our childhoods.

Old-fashioned teddy bears topped the list, with 33% of the vote and, according to the survey, as many as 10% of adults still sleep with their childhood teddy every night. Overall, 67% of the adults surveyed still reminisce about childhood toys, while three-quarters (74%) are hit by waves of nostalgia when thinking about them.

The study revealed our favourites, with Rubik’s Cube (31%), Barbie doll (28%) and Care Bears (26%) all featuring high on the list. Polly Pocket (25%), My Little Pony (20%), Etch-a-Sketch (19%) and Hungry Hippos (17%) also made the final cut, as did Sylvanian Families (14%), Mousetrap (14%) and Buckaroo (14%). Scalextric (13%), Spacehoppers (13%), and the board game Operation (12%) also featured.

Meanwhile, the research revealed that eight in ten (81%) parents admit that it fills their hearts with joy when they see their little ones playing with toys they loved themselves as children. And over a quarter (26%) cannot resist playing with their kids’ toys, when they are on their own.

Almost half of British parents (45%) are hoarding mountains of boxes of their kids’ old toys - all sitting gathering dust at home - while 81% have a yearly spring clean to clear out older toys, with 24% admitting they have binned plenty of their children’s unloved toys, only to feel guilty and regretful that they were not passed onto other children who would have appreciated them more. Over two-thirds (67%) think unwanted toys should go to charity, and 13% aim to donate them to children’s hospitals or schools.

Geoff Sheffield, chief commercial and marketing officer at The Entertainer, said: “We are not surprised to find toys like teddy bears, Rubik’s Cube and Barbie at the top of the list. These timeless toys have been enjoyed by every generation and bring back wonderful childhood memories, providing comfort for many.”

Referring to the chain’s Big Home Rehoming campaign, he noted: “Since 2019 we’ve rehomed 40,000 toys with The Salvation Army, which may otherwise have ended up in landfill. We’re excited to announce this is returning for another year and we encourage everyone to bring in their much-loved toys which are no longer played with to their local stores, so these can be loved and played with by new families.”

THE 20 MOST-LOVED TOYS AND GAMES FROM CHILDHOOD, ACCORDING TO ADULTS:

1. A teddy bear 33% 2. Rubik’s Cube 31% 3. Barbie 28% 4. Care Bears 26% 5. Polly Pocket 25% 6. My Little Pony 20% 7. Etch-a-Sketch 19% 8. Hungry Hippos 17% 9. Sylvanian Families 14% 10. Mousetrap 14% 11. Buckaroo 14% 12. Sindy 14% 13. Scalextric 13% 14. Space Hopper 13% 15. Spirograph 12% 16. Operation 12% 17. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures 10% 18. Baby Born 9% 19. Barbie Dreamhouse 9% 20. Gameboy Original 9%