Since opening a flagship store at Langham Place in Mong Kok in August, Lego Hong Kong has proved to be on top of its game.
“The Lego Certified Store (LCS) has been pulling in the highest spending per square foot for all LCSs worldwide,” says vice-chairman Dr William Lo of Kidsland International Holdings, the toy company’s sole distributor in China. Kidsland LCS, which has more than 20 years’ experience in branding and marketing products for the children’s market, developed and manages the store.
The 4000 sqft (371 sqm) space is Asia’s biggest Lego store. Established by Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1932, the toy brand is still a family-owned company, selling its products in more than 130 countries.
As sales continue to increase, Lo believes the timing of the opening was spot on.
“I think we opened at a right time when families and kids could enjoy the in-store play experience right before the end of summer holiday,” he says. “This momentum carried on with our monthly interactive activities catering to kids, and sometimes adults as well.”
Apart from serving the children’s market, the store has a specific product mix to cater for more sophisticated fans and collectors, a group known as the Adult Fan of Lego. This has helped to increase sales per ticket at the Hong Kong store, says Lo.
“We also have product launches every month, some being LCS-exclusive items. All these factors combined differentiate us, and help drive sales continuously.”
Demand ‘unserved’
Based on industry experience, Kidsland knew that simply buying Lego products in Hong Kong would not be enough for fans. Especially for children, the demand for interactive elements is unserved, Lo says.
“That’s where we saw the chance to expand our business in Hong Kong. So we asked Lego headquarters about their plan for Hong Kong, and they said they hadn’t found the right partner yet. With our 15-plus years of experience and distribution relationship with Lego, a partnership was formed.”
Kidsland, which finalised the opening of its first Beijing Lego store last month, has a sales network covering about 100 cities on the Chinese mainland as well as Hong Kong. Apart from Lego, the group also distributes such brands as Aprica, Bandai, Chicco, Schleich, Siku and Silverlit.
Lego-certified professional Andy Hung and Lego hobbyist Alex Hui spent eight months crafting a display for the Mong Kok store’s high-street shopfront using about 70,000 Lego bricks.
There is also a mosaic wall on the left side of the storefront which at nearly 10 ft (3m) tall and 11.2 ft wide is the largest such feature in Hong Kong. It is made from more than 100,000 Lego pieces.
The first Lego Duplo pillar production in Hong Kong is an animal-themed display nearly 3m tall, depicting creatures from Antarctica and the North Pole.
The exclusive Pick-a-Brick wall enables fans to find individual pieces, a play area lets children experiment, and a showcase displays the creative works of hobbyists.
Lo says the store was designed to completely reveal Lego’s DNA. “We have been a partner with the Lego Group for more than a decade,” he says. “We strive to be coherent to the brand’s principles with an aim to inspire Lego fans of all age groups.”
- This feature was originally published online by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council
