Lego opens in SA

While LEGO products are available at independent toy retailers elsewhere in South Africa, The Great Yellow Brick Co’s shop is the first LEGO Certified Store in the country and will stock and display a variety of LEGO options, exciting installations, exclusive and extended sets, and experiences not yet seen in South Africa.

The store will include these signature features:

• Pick A Brick Wall – a custom-built fixture with round canisters, each filled with an assortment of LEGO bricks and elements that consumers can purchase in set priced cups or by weight
• Build a Minifigure Station – guests to the store can customise up to three minifigures from a large variety of parts and accessories.
• A mosaic of the Big 5 and a 3D model of the Johannesburg skyline designed and built out of LEGO bricks exclusively for the Sandton store.

Special build areas will encourage fans to unleash their imaginations, while augmented reality screens will help shoppers visualise the contents of box sets, in 3D, before they purchase.

“The Great Yellow Brick Co‘s Sandton City shop will offer limited and special edition LEGO sets at the same time that they’re launched internationally, meaning that consumers no longer have to wait for months to buy them, or hunt them down online,” says co-founder Robert Greenstein.

“For example, we’re opening with the new Bugatti Chiron set, a magnificent working roller coaster, the Disney Castle, the Star Wars Y-Wing and the Hulk Buster, and collectors that have been hunting for the Star Wars Millennium Falcon need look no further…”

The Great Yellow Brick Co has also extended its offering online giving consumers access to the most extensive LEGO range available in the region, offering all the convenience of online shopping as well as a click and collect service should customers prefer.

The store’s Brick Rewards loyalty programme will see customers earn points back based on their spend, with points translating into monetary savings on future purchases, while exclusive gifts with purchase not available anywhere else will also be available from time to time.

“LEGO bricks are so much more than just toys or collector’s items – playing and building with them promotes the development of fine motor skills, encourages team work, and improves creativity,” Greenstein explains.

“Building sets or creating their own masterpieces teaches problem-solving skills to children, and improves their communication skills too,” he adds. “It also develops persistence, lateral thinking and planning skills, and placing that final brick into a creation boosts a child’s self-esteem – something that’s clearly evident in the broad smiles that are sure to happen at about the same time!”

The 179m² Sandton City store is close to Sandton City’s Fun District, a level dedicated to family entertainment, and it significantly enhances the centre’s offering for children.

“South Africans have a decades-long love for LEGO sets and products, from children who follow instructions to build sets before they can read, to adults who will go to extraordinary lengths to complete their themed collections,” says Kristian Imhof, Country Manager for The LEGO Group in South Africa. “There are also many South Africans who have never been exposed to its possibilities, and we are looking forward to introducing them to the limitless ways they can play with, build and collect LEGO bricks and sets.”