retail

In Local News: Melbourne To Get a New LEGO® Certified Store

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Thanks to an Sue Ann Barber for the heads up: there is a job ad online for a Store Manager, at a NEW LEGO® Certified store, in ‘the CBD or Inner Suburbs’

“A new LEGO® Certified Store in the inner suburbs of Melbourne is in the advanced stages of planning and expressions of interest are being sought for the position of Store Manager. The Store will feature life-sized LEGO® models, a Pick-a-Brick wall, hard to find product releases and amazing bricks in hands engagement opportunities.  Designed in partnership with LEGO® Australia to a new format, this store will be an integral part of our LEGO® Certified Store network.

The store manager is responsible for leading and driving an engaging, customer driven culture within their team. You will be self-motivated and driven by success in a retail environment. You will understand and be inspired by the importance of engagement and role play has in a child’s development. “

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Rollout of Further Australian LEGO Certified Stores Confirmed

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Alceon, owner of the Flagship certified store at Bondi Junction has today announced the opening of a second Sydney store, as well as New Zealand’s first LEGO Certified Store in Auckland, in the next few months. The new Sydney store will be in the Broadway Shopping Centre, Glebe. Continue reading →

Flagship Certified Store to open in Sydney in late March

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Yesterday, pictures started to surface of a vinyl wrapped store featuring lots of LEGO livery, at the Westfield Centre in Bondi Junction.

Today, we can confirm that we will see a LEGO® Certified Store open on that site in late March – probably in time to coincide with the (delayed, compared to the rest of the world) Australian opening of The LEGO Movie 2.

Image courtesy of David Scalone, used with permission.

While the Sydney’s first LEGO Centre at Birkenhead Point has long closed, the new shop – a Certified Store rather than LEGO Brand Retail – will operate over two floors, with a total floor space of 302sqm.

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Gift with purchase survey: Select your Top 5

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LEGO Group: Gift With Purchase Survey

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Over the last few weeks, you have been sending in your suggestions for Gift with purchase ideas.

I need to whittle this list down to a top 5 for the LEGO® Marketing team.

Click on the link and select your top 5 preferences by October 30. 

Thanks for your help.

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Going Independent

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You’d be forgiven, if you had your ear to the ground in Melbourne lately, for thinking IMG_5799 (1)that the only thing happening in the world of LEGO® Retail was the opening of the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre at the Chadstone shopping centre.

Get out of the malls

Do not think, however, if you don’t like shopping centres, or malls, or giant retailers that  you don’t have the option of finding some places around town where you can get your fix of LEGO® retail opportunity.  There are a number of independent stores, away from the larger centres, which offer a large range of current, and retired LEGO® sets, as well as providing the option of off brand, third party add ons for your LEGO creations.

Bring Bricks to Bayswater

One such store is Toybricks. The original store opened in the inner northern suburb of Fairfield, about five years ago.  A second shop has just been opened in the outer eastern suburb of Baywater.  With around 200 square meters of retail space, the shelves are filled with the majority of the current LEGO sets, as well as a few officially retired items. The new space has plenty of new stock, mini figures available for individual purchase as well as an area for MOCs to be displayed. There is a good range of Creator Expert sets in stock.

In addition to official LEGO products, Toybricks also stock Lifelites lighting systems, as well as the ME rails – both metal and plastic.  A selection of clothing and books are also available.  As well as LEGO, there is a small section of other modelling toys, as well as 3D jigsaw puzzles and robotics kits. Dean also has play tables, with (non-LEGO branded) baseplates on.  These plates certainly have impressive clutch power, holding oa small mock in place as the table top was lifted up and tipped on its side. To help you sort you parts, they also stock a variety of Australian made Fisher Storage Boxes.

Another service offered is a shopfront for the Ozbricks Bricklink store – preorders can be delivered to the shop for pickup, and a limited selection of parts can be purchased on site.

The shop has it’s grand opening this weekend (12th May), with some opening weekend specials including 25% off the RRP for the Creator Expert Big Ben 10253; 40% off selected sStar Wars sets, and Buy 2 get one free with 7499 Straight and Flexible Tracks.

This new store at 697 Mountain Highway Bayswater is close to the Bayswater railway station, and there is plenty of parking nearby.

Not only but also…

As well as their other store at 70 Station street Fairfield, there are a number of other independent retailers specialising in LEGO and related products around Melbourne including:

I’m Rick James Bricks at 49 John St, Pakenham.  As well as LEGO Sets, and a wall of bricks to select from and a build a minifigure station. Rick also sell’s Citizen Brick printed figures and tiles, as well as Brick Arms accessories and Brickmania military figures and kits.

Build and Play Australia can be found at 1387 Toorak Road, Camberwell. In addition to their range of LEGO sets and minifigures, they carry a range of Graphic Novels and Funko Pop Vinyl figures.

Shopforme have a retail location at 23 Dawson St, Coburg North, and in addition to LEGO sets stock a wide range of collectibles, and a strong online presence.

Bricks To The World, based in Gippsland offers online only service, with a wide range of current and retired sets, and prompt delivery.

I’m sure there must be some other independent resellers around Melbourne, and indeed Victoria: these are the ones I know, in the parts of town I tend to travel through.  Who’s your favourite? Who have I missed?

Disclaimer: This is not a paid advertisement.  People often ask where can they buy LEGO locally, and it’s often a bit easier to have a post to point them to rather than pull out the back of an envelope…the opening of a new store made it feel timely.

I would also like to acknowledge that there are  many great independent and franchised general  toy shops out there, for whom LEGO is not the primary business. They can also be a great source of LEGO sets, without the seasonal shortfall that you often see with the major retailers.

 

Play well.