Danish toymaker The Lego Group is planning to open 30 to 40 stores across the country over the next five years to tap the growing interest towards their products from not only children but also adults.
In a conversation with FE, Bhavana Mandon, Country Manager, Lego India, said that they would open stores in the metro cities first and then move to smaller cities.
Mandon said that the main focus of the brick-and-mortar stores would be to offer experiential shopping and introduce its range of portfolio to newer customers. The company on Friday opened its first exclusive branded store in the country at Gurugram. Spread across 4,500 square feet, it is the largest LEGO outlet in South Asia.
“There is no rush or urgency in terms of taking the stores in. We just want the experience to be premium,” she said. “The plan is not to get all the stores in very quickly but to spread the expansion steadily across five years.”
LEGO was already selling in India through online channels and multi-brand retailers. In its first retail store, it has brought in over 800 products starting at Rs 449.
Mandon said that while there is a rise in demand from kids and their parents towards toys which add to the learning experience, it is the adults that have surprised them.
“We always thought that there is a global audience for adults for LEGO but in India it would be a bit of a churning,” she said.
“But we realised there are adults here who really want to have some meaningful, constructive distractions,” she added.
In India, LEGO will focus on omnichannel strategy, with faster online deliveries coupled with steady store expansion. However, not all stores will be large-format like the one opened in Gurugram.
“To expand our portfolio in India, we will need the might of all channels together,” Mandon said.
For instance, the Gurugram store has been opened with the company’s retail franchise partner Ample. This would also fulfil online orders of the brand, leading to quicker deliveries at least in Delhi-NCR.
Mandon also said that high demand for LEGO products on quick commerce has surprised the company and they have now introduced a tailor-made portfolio for these platforms. “I am glad we are doing it,” she said.