New brand store opening in Watford

 

  • New brand store opening in Watford

    Posted by Huw, 10 Oct 2012 04:19. Filed under Shopping (UK).

    It seems that hardly a week goes by without a LEGO brand store opening somewhere in the world, which is of course great news for us.

    The next one to open in the UK will be in Watford, in the Harlequin shopping centre. A slightly strange choice given the proximity of the stores in London and Milton Keynes, but nevertheless very welcome to those that live nearby, including our very own DrDaveWatford.

    If you fancy a job there, the manager's job is currently being advertised.

    All we (sorry, I) need now is one in the Portsmouth/Southampton area. Hopefully it won't be long now! (thanks bluemoose for the news)


    56 comments, latest one posted 7 months ago. (Commenting has ended on this article)
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Comments

Posted by LostInTranslation in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 04:34

Very chuffed about this one, it'll save me the expense of going into London for a Lego store fix :-)
Just in time for Christmas too - the job description says it's due to open late November.

Posted by arl100 in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 04:54

Perhaps they might open one in Exeter...eventually.
The South West will clearly have to wait longer.

Posted by legolover2001 in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 05:07

I think there should be one somewere in east angila

Posted by dekovite in Europe, 10 Oct 2012 05:09

I'm sure there's an empty shop in GunWharf in Portsmouth that would be perfect for a Lego store - not so much for my wallet though if one were to open !

Posted by jhs8swd in United States, 10 Oct 2012 05:31

My wife is going to be appalled by this news, I'm only 10 mins or so away from the Harlequin and go there at least once a fortnight. Whenever I'm out for over an hour she'll be suspicious!

Think I will be one of the regulars there, I hope they have good PaB walls!

Nice to see the Harlequin getting some decent shops in, especially after the arrival of the horrible Apple shop (although the presence of an Apple store wherever there's a Lego shop seems quite frequent?!)

Posted by augen in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 05:42

Great news, an opening that's only half an hour away!

Posted by lefler1981 in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 05:47

What about Brighton store? Any news about the new store ?

Posted by meccanotwitch in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 05:53

What about more stores up north, I know we now have one in Sheffield but the country doesn't end there!

Posted by augen in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 06:01

Does anyone know how much discount you get if you work for Lego?

Posted by Steamrunner in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 06:09

Oh thank goodness for that - my wife's going to be unimpressed, but it'll save me coming up with excuses to go to Milton Keynes or (shudder) Westfield White City.

BTW I doubt there'll ever be a Lego store in Gunwharf Quays - it's not a shopping centre, it's an outlet mall.

Posted by SilentMode in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 06:11

This one's not too far from where I am right now.

Posted by stevenzhang in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 06:11

Just wondering when is the opening date?

Posted by TyoSolo in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 06:25

This is great - now I have one on my home and work doorsteps. Excellent.

Posted by The Baron in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 06:27

Scotland... Anywhere in Scotland please.

Posted by one wag in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 06:27

Well Whiteley is being redeveloped so it'll fit in between Portsmouth and Southampton. One can only dream and hope (as well as prayer and petition for one in Hampshire).

Posted by Zander in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 06:40

Between Watford in the north, Bluewater in the south and the two Westfields in the East and West centre(-ish), will London be the best LEGO-served city in the world?

The other day, I was after a particular Ninjago booster pack. I called Westfield Stratford but they didn't have it. So I tried Westfield Shepherd's Bush instead and they did. I love being surrounded by LEGO stores!

Posted by TyoSolo in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 06:52

@stevenzhang - Job advert states opening of "late November" - That means the Grand Opening is likely to be in the middle of the mad Xmas rush. :-/

Posted by LostInTranslation in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 07:11

^ Or they'll postpone it til after Christmas. Shepherds Bush's grand opening was ages after the store opened.
Whenever it is, I intend to be there anyway! :-)

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 07:49

@one wag, We are getting an Entertainer in Whiteley. I don't know whether to laugh or cry ;-)

Posted by one wag in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 07:57

@Huw, well it's better than nothing - but Hey we are getting a Smyths in Segensworth - the old Allied Carpet building - right next to Argos - so choice has increased somewhat!

Posted by stevenzhang in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 08:06

@TyoSolo, Thanks! Hopefully this time I can get a lego store model at grand opening. In the future, if there is one in the East Anglia would be much better.

Posted by ScottMathers78 in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 08:07

Oh no, bad news, I work 10 minutes from the Harlequin. My wallet is going to take a battering.

However, I live in the Midlands and find it strange that there isn't a store in Birmingham, Britains second city!

Posted by Admiral Phil in United States, 10 Oct 2012 08:10

Okay, Lego, listen up. please quit opening stores in london and open one in the midwest. and no, chicago won't cut it. there is a giant lego void in the area between chicago, indianapolis, kansas city, and Colorado. i happen to know that there is a large opportunity for a lego store in iowa and enough fan base to support it. if you won't put one in Des Moines, which happens to be the 104th largest city in the united states, at least put one only a couple hour's drive away, in omaha. (rank 43rd largest city in us)

Posted by jscutt in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 08:19

I vote for Norwich, please Lego. My nearest store is Milton Keynes 2 hours a 30 minutes near!

Posted by Captain Eyebrow in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 08:32

Keeps mouth firmly shut.

Posted by shaase in Canada, 10 Oct 2012 08:41

Would like to see more in Canada, we only have four. Ottawa the capital could use one.

Posted by cambridge07 in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 08:47

Birmingham please........can you imagine the second city hasnt got a LEGO Store!

Posted by swtfan in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 09:12

i would love one in portsmouth

Posted by Huw in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 09:19

@one wag, excellent --that's only a stone's throw away from here, isn't it -- I'll almost be able to walk there!

Posted by TheCahleySlash in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 09:25

A Lego store in Oxford by next year would be much appreciated

Posted by TyoSolo in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 09:33

I have a feeling there will be one in the Metro Centre, Gateshead soon. The North East and Scotland is poorly served, so it would make perfect sense.

Posted by ChicoCheco in Norway, 10 Oct 2012 10:18

And again, no store in Norway :-(

Posted by Si_Dorking_Surrey in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 10:25

DrDave exerting undue influence?

Personally I think we need clearly need one in Dorking. Next door would be nice.

Posted by Firox 5000 in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 11:01

Thisis brilliant news as I live only 20 minutes away or 30 minutes on the train.

Posted by toon10001 in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 11:24

Give us a scottish one, that'll do nicely....
Well i am going to london om friday so i might take a peek in the store

Posted by TheJake in United States, 10 Oct 2012 11:32

As usual, a few cheers and many growns.

Posted by CCC in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 11:56


@ cambridge07: Birmingham please........can you imagine the second city hasnt got a LEGO Store!

The second city does have one ... it is in the Arndale Centre.

Posted by kmvk83 in Netherlands, 10 Oct 2012 11:59

All those brandstores popping out of the ground like mushrooms. But not in Holland. TLG open a brand store in the Netherlands please!

Posted by EasyEddie in Denmark, 10 Oct 2012 12:25

Steamrunner, have you been to the Westfield White City store lately? I went today and they have got some great new staff there, I was really impressed! I'll be going there from now on.

Posted by Frederick B. in Norway, 10 Oct 2012 12:42

If they could only open one in Norway soon.

Posted by minifignick in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 13:07

Any chance of one near Plymouth or in fact anywhere in the southwest The nearest to me is Cardiff !

Posted by vamproe in United States, 10 Oct 2012 13:11

Vegas baby ......... Vegas needs one...... And Salt Lake City too.

Heck lets have Lego make a modular Vegas strip.

Posted by jhs8swd in United States, 10 Oct 2012 13:28

I wonder if bluemoose (who does rather seem to be the font of knowledge when it comes to TLG activities in the UK) is able to shed any light on the decision process about where to locate UK brand shops?

I suspect that it's a standard retail model of looking at your catchment area, combined with looking where Dr Dave lives. But Watford is definitely considered a regional shopping centre - which is always given away by the fact that they have a John Lewis - and there is an obscene amount of spending potential in NW London/Herts/Bucks which doesn't all get absorbed by Westfield or MK.

What will the Grand Opening minifigs be? I suspect it might be quite random and a little rubbish (like the Manchester one), but I'd love to see them leverage the existence of the Warner Bros studios a little - the fact that Goldeneye, Sherlock Holmes, Star Wars Ep I (boo) and the whole Harry Potter series were all based here in Leavesden certainly gives some potential for some fab minifigs, even if they aren't officially licenced figs (although the numbers of Harry Potters floating around in TLG inventory must be enormous, they practically can't give them away when it comes to polybags!)

I don't think this thread is a great one for whining about not having a shop nearby, especially in the USA - it's good to find how many other people are closeby though!

Posted by CapnRex101 in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 14:20

I am still holding out on that Eastbourne Lego shop, however unlikely it may be! A family friend lives in Rickmansworth though, so that will no doubt provide a good excuse for one or two excursions!

Posted by Legoless in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 16:23

That's great news. Watford is definately on the up and up. A new Apple store, a second Nandos, a Wagamamas, and now a Lego store. Although I do feel conflicted (being a manager at a rival retailer in Watford, currently selling large quantities of Lego!). But I guess, overall, choice is a good thing.

Posted by legoguysw in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 16:28

@CCC: The second city does have one ... it is in the Arndale Centre.

Wait, the Arndale centre moved to Birmingham? Wow.

Joking aside, I think it is silly that there are no LEGO Stores in the West Midlands whatsoever. Birmingham is the second largest city in terms of population, and is very central, so it makes sense to have one there. There was one quite a few years ago, but it was closed down for some reason or another.

Posted by bluemoose in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 17:29

"... for some reason or another" - the old Birmingham store closed because it wasn't making enough of a profit to make it viable. Same with the store in Kingston that shut down at the same time. Big city or not, if people aren't buying the product, if there isn't enough cash flowing through the cash register, then Lego are going to shut it down.

Posted by George G. in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 17:36

@Bluemoose - I swear I read somewhere on here that the point of the LEGO stores were to advertise the company and the products as apposed to being a main facility to shift their products so would therefore not be as interested in a little bit of a low profit ;) Or was I dreaming about that...

Posted by legoguysw in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 17:39

I know that. But this was quite a few years ago, and LEGO has come quite a way since then, it's gained a fair bit of popularity from what I can tell (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong on this). Of course I see why they'd be less inclined to try and open one there because of this past failure, though.

Posted by Chocolate in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 17:57

Putting one in at Gunwharf in Portsmouth would be awesome!

Posted by mrdoofa in United Kingdom, 10 Oct 2012 18:11

I maybe wrong here but didn't tlg have some financial difficulties a few years ago as Lego wasn't selling as well as they'd hoped, maybe this is why Birmingham had poor profits.
However, tlg seem to back on top of their game and should reconsider the midlands. I actually live near Leeds and was over the moon when they opened stores in Liverpool, Manchester and Sheffield.
Further north though towards Newcastle and Scotland they have none at all! Tlg need to remedy this!

Posted by arl100 in United Kingdom, 11 Oct 2012 02:56

I agree with minifignick, Cardiff is such a long way away from south Devon. They reckon Exeter will be huge in 5-10 years time with so many companies investing and building stores there. Is that enough to sway Lego to build one down here? I hope so as it isn't too far for me to travel.

Posted by bluemoose in United Kingdom, 11 Oct 2012 03:49

@George G. - that was true (to an extent), but the stores still had to show a reasonable return on investment. But that changed about 2 years ago, and the stores are now considered to be primary retail channels for Lego, and not just a hobby project for the marketing department. And that means they now have more challenging profit targets than they did ...

@mrdoofa - the primary problem with Lego back in 2003/2004 was more to do with them not managing their costs properly; the Legoland parks were making a big loss each year (so they sold them to Merlin), their inventory control was out of control, production wasn't properly optimised (too many specialist parts, too many different colours), too many licenses, too much non-brick product lines, more staff than they really needed, etc. They were having sales issues too, but that wasn't the real problem. The Birmingham and Kingston stores were significantly under-performing compared to the Milton Keynes, Brighton and Bluewater stores, so they pulled the plug. Part of the problem with the Birmingham store was location; if/when they open a new Birmingham store, they will have learned from that.

Posted by dekovite in Europe, 11 Oct 2012 05:56

@Steamrunner - GunWharf was certainly outlet when it opened - I don't think many of the shops there these days would be classed as outlet, so I think a Lego store would fit nicely. Either that or if the Northern Quarter "White Elephant" ever appears, maybe that would be more suited ?

Posted by aquafreak125 in United Kingdom, 13 Oct 2012 04:30

This is great news, the harlequin is only a 15 minute drive from where I live!
I'm hoping they'll have some job vacancies at the store when it opens, I'm thinking of applying there..

Posted by bluemoose in United Kingdom, 13 Oct 2012 18:32

^ it isn't just the manager job that's being advertised currently -

Manager - http://jobsatlego.com/united-kingdom/united-kingdom/retail/jobid2884221-store-manager-watford-jobs
Asst Manager - http://jobsatlego.com/united-kingdom/united-kingdom/retail/jobid2884226-assistant-store-manager-watford-jobs
Supervisors - http://jobsatlego.com/united-kingdom/watford/retail/jobid2884225-supervisor-watford-jobs
Sales assistants - http://jobsatlego.com/united-kingdom/united-kingdom/retail/jobid2884223-sales-associate-watford-jobs
They are looking for the supervisors and sales assistants (inc. part time) to start mid- to late-November

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