Lego builds sales during pandemic   

With families stuck at home due to COVID-19 restrictions, Danish toy company Lego has seen a rise in sales.   

According to a Lego press release, consumer sales grew 14 per cent in 2020 compared to 2019. Lego Group CEO, Niels B. Christiansen said that part of its success was due to all ages embracing the classic toy.  

“During the first half of 2020 we saw the benefits of our investments in long-term growth initiatives such as e-commerce and product innovation. Our strong portfolio appealed to builders of all ages…We also collaborated closely with our retail partners to ensure they could continue to supply their shoppers online,” said Christiansen. 

Brickset.com reports Lego has become increasingly difficult to find with many sets either out of stock or on back order due to high demand.  

Becky O’Hara is a “Pandemic AFOL” or an Adult Fan of Lego said she has accumulated more Lego during this pandemic than in previous years.   

“I bought Central Perk very late in 2019, I knew I wanted more but didn’t want to spend that much. Then the pandemic happened,” said O’Hara. “In April 2020 I bought Parisian Restaurant and Palace Cinema, above retail as they’d retired at this point.” 

 It was not only sets that were popular among children and adults, Lego said there was a significant increase in engagement in the companies’ digital play experiences. In the first six months, downloads of Lego digital building instructions doubled to two million. 

 Every two seconds a piece of content was shared on its app Lego Life, which has more than nine million users in 80 countries. 

The spike in prices is also spreading to resale markets. This is making it difficult to find bricks.  

Derek Thomas Pearce, owner of the Brick Space-Twin Soo Bricks, said he is finding it more difficult to find Lego parts on the secondary market.   

“We are finding nine out of 10 times the stuff that we want has already been bought by somebody. There’s so many people buying Lego now that the secondary market is running out of certain parts,” said Pearce. 

The LEGO Group was founded in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen. The company has passed from father to son and is now owned by Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen.