The LEGO Group to move Americas office to Boston, MA in 2026
Posted by TheBrickPal,
LEGO has unexpectedly announced a plan to move their North American operations from Enfield, CT to Boston, MA. This will happen in phases starting in mid-2025, and the transition will be completed by the end of 2026.
You can read the full press release after the break!
ENFIELD, Conn., January 24, 2023: The LEGO Group today announced it has selected Boston for its future head office in the Americas and will move its current office from Enfield, Connecticut by the end of 2026.
President of the LEGO Group in the Americas, Skip Kodak said the move would support the business’s long-term growth ambitions to bring LEGO play to even more children in the US and the Americas region.
Kodak said: “Boston is ranked one of the best cities in the world to attract and retain talent. This, along with its world-class academic institutions, skilled workforce and great quality of life makes it an ideal location for our US head office. We have exciting plans for the next phase of growth and hope we can retain many of our current team, as well as attract new colleagues.”
The move to the new office will happen in a phased way beginning in mid-2025 and completed by the end of 2026. Until then LEGO employees will work across two sites – the existing office in Enfield and the company’s LEGO Education office in Back Bay, Boston, where new roles will be located.
All colleagues based in Enfield will have a position in the new location and will receive relocation assistance if they wish to make the move. Colleagues who choose not to relocate will receive financial support and job placement assistance to transition to new opportunities outside the company.
Kodak said: “We’re grateful for our fantastic team and the support we’ve received in Connecticut over the past 50 years. This has allowed us to build a successful business and inspire millions of children. We wanted to give our people plenty of time to plan their futures, so will implement a gradual transition over the next few years.”
The LEGO Group opened its office in Enfield CT in 1975. The original site was home to a factory and warehouse, but the current location is only offices. The company will begin a search for a new office location in central Boston.
The LEGO Group will continue to support its existing local community partners in Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.
The LEGO Group currently employs approximately 2,600 people in the US where it has been operating since 1962. There are currently around 740 people working full-time from its Enfield office.
In June 2022, the company announced plans to build a US$1 billion carbon neutral run manufacturing facility in Virginia. Construction will commence in April 2023 and is due to be completed by the end of 2025. The company also operates more than 100 LEGO stores across the country, including a flagship store on 5th Ave, New York City. Its global headquarters are in Billund, Denmark where the company was founded 90 years ago.
More information can be found on The Boston Globe.
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34 comments on this article
Cool I guess?
I drive by Enfield monthly. I really should divert over to the HQ and just take a look. (From a Google maps check, it appears to really just be an office park building with some logos. It's no Bilund.)
I grew up two towns over from Enfield and still live in the suburbs of Hartford, Connecticut, about 20 minutes from LEGO Headquarters. This is a big news item in my region. People are not happy about it. I am particularly worried about my across-the-street neighbor who works for LEGO. She’ll either have to relocate or lose her job. The press release states that Boston has a great quality of life. That may be, but the cost of living there is exorbitant compared to Greater Hartford. Unless the move comes with pay bumps, employees who move with the company are going to have a difficult time getting by.
As someone from Connecticut, this makes me really sad. It was so cool growing up and knowing that LEGO was based in my state (in the US), and it's a shame to see a(nother) big business leave the state.
That said, as someone currently pursuing a degree in Boston, it's fun to imagine getting to work for LEGO in some capacity here. It's also nice to see that they're staying in New England, rather than relocating to another part of the country that it's trendy for businesses to relocate to lately (DC and Texas come to mind).
@ResIpsaLoquitor - I'm pretty sure the Enfield little league fields are also named for/sponsored by LEGO, which isn't hugely important, but still kind of neat as a LEGO enthusiast.
It's also nice to see that no positions are being laid off as a result of the move... having worked in corporate America, it feels special for a company to make a transition like this while still doing its best to take care of all of its existing employees (either with relocation or assistance transitioning elsewhere). I really do admire LEGO as a company, and even if they're beholden to market forces that drive typical "business" decisions, I still feel like they do things as classily as possible.
Looks like Susan Williams will be getting a new office!
@1265 said:
" @Balthazar_Brannigan said:
"It's also nice to see that they're staying in New England, rather than relocating to another part of the country that it's trendy for businesses to relocate to lately (DC and Texas come to mind)."
Relocate to DC....lol. You are correct on Texas, and add Florida as well. Not just businesses are relocating, but people as well because of.......well, you know why.
"
You couldn't pay me enough to move to either Texas or Florida.
Frankly, I’m surprised. Instagram had a quick video tour of their Enfield offices just the other day, and then this news. I’m kinda shocked. All of us here in the US, since childhood, will remember seeing “Enfield, CT” on our LEGO boxes. As a kid I always asked myself “where is Enfield?”
Seems like a wicked smaht move on Lego’s part.
@A__Khan said:
"Looks like Susan Williams will be getting a new office!"
I was thinking the same thing! Susan Williams may not be thrilled about this relo.
How come there is not already a LEGO theme named "Skip Kodak: World Mover" or something? The tagline could be "Move over, Johnny Thunder!"
@peterlmorris You said you've seen Boston with your own eyes, but have you been recently? I'm not a city person at all (outside of LEGO sets), but Boston is actually quite charming. Many of the streets are tree-lined, and there are lots of green areas spread around the city, including almost all of the waterfront areas. It's pretty quiet, as far as cities go, and very green and walkable. A friend of mine was actually surprised at how clean, quiet, and pest-free the T stations were in contrast to other cities. It's not perfect, but it's got a lot of good things going for it. It's also definitely an education and talent hub, per LEGO's press release, and its population is growing accordingly. (Also, as an aside, Philadelphia has 2.5x the population of Boston, so if anything, Philadelphia is Boston's big sibling.)
@560heliport I have absolutely no desire to move to Texas or Florida either, or even really to visit them. I'd rather spend my time and resources in places that respect myself and my friends. (They're also way too hot!)
Wicked pissah!
Is it wrong to want that giant, hollow minifig and all its contents?
So can we expect to start finding baseplates with cow paths instead of linear streets? At the very least I’d expect a Fenway set to be released.
@Balthazar_Brannigan said:
@560heliport I have absolutely no desire to move to Texas or Florida either, or even really to visit them. I'd rather spend my time and resources in places that respect myself and my friends. (They're also way too hot!)]]
Yes, exactly! Everything you said.
@peterlmorris said:
"Boston is a dump, like its big brother the Big Apple, and its little sister Philadelphia. The once great cities of the northeast are all decayed husks where only a few bright spots remain. The rest is just urban wasteland, overrun with crime and grime. Baltimore, Trenton, Newark, heck I’ve heard even Hartford has gone downhill. But the rest I’ve seen with my own eyes.
There’s a reason these states and cities keep losing population. And it’s got everything to do with who keeps getting elected there.
LEGO is making an awful choice that they’ll come to regret. "
Boston, NYC, and Philly are awesome, always have been. Trenton and Newark have always been dumps.
Boston and NYC are growing in population. I'm not sure why you think they are losing pop...
@ResIpsaLoquitur said:
"I drive by Enfield monthly. I really should divert over to the HQ and just take a look. (From a Google maps check, it appears to really just be an office park building with some logos. It's no Bilund.)"
Wait till you see what the Australian headquarters look like. They’re right next to my University campus, but it only takes up a single floor of a building. No logos or anything. You could easily walk by and miss it.
Wow! It’s quite amazing how quickly the infighting broke out between the American contingent.
What a harmonious and united people you all are!
Where’s my popcorn…
It's not clear from the press release *why* they've chosen to move. They talk about Boston having a "skilled workforce", but given that their global HQ is in Billund, which is the back of beyond, it doesn't appear that location is a driving force to attract talent. And as one commenter says, living costs are likely to be higher in Boston, which sounds like a disincentive for the employees themselves.
Wonder if TLG have been offered a tax break, or something of that ilk, to move and it was to good to refuse?
@BooTheMightyHamster said:
"It's not clear from the press release *why* they've chosen to move. They talk about Boston having a "skilled workforce", but given that their global HQ is in Billund, which is the back of beyond, it doesn't appear that location is a driving force to attract talent. And as one commenter says, living costs are likely to be higher in Boston, which sounds like a disincentive for the employees themselves.
Wonder if TLG have been offered a tax break, or something of that ilk, to move and it was to good to refuse?"
Per the Boston Globe article, "The city offered Lego no financial incentives for the move." So it's really not clear why they did this, and indeed seems pretty random. It also appears to have been decided on relatively quickly.
The most I can gather is that this happened so they could be closer to their Education office, which has been in the Back Bay area of Boston since 2016. This may suggest a greater emphasis on LEGO Education products and programs in the future. But that's just speculation. We'll see what happens!
@MonsterFighter said:
"Wow! It’s quite amazing how quickly the infighting broke out between the American contingent.
What a harmonious and united people you all are!
Where’s my popcorn…"
As an American myself, I'm ashamed, but totally not surprised, that some of my fellow Americans are trying to derail the comments section by taking childish political jabs at each other.
Back on topic, Boston's a little under 2 hours away from their current HQ, so it's not a massive move, but it's still big enough that most of their employees will probably need to relocate. I really hope Lego will take adequate measures to help them with that transition.
@peterlmorris said:
"Boston is a dump, like its big brother the Big Apple, and its little sister Philadelphia. The once great cities of the northeast are all decayed husks where only a few bright spots remain. The rest is just urban wasteland, overrun with crime and grime. Baltimore, Trenton, Newark, heck I’ve heard even Hartford has gone downhill. But the rest I’ve seen with my own eyes.
There’s a reason these states and cities keep losing population. And it’s got everything to do with who keeps getting elected there.
LEGO is making an awful choice that they’ll come to regret. "
Hartford was always a dump
Enfield is also, relatively speaking, rural. Definitely not 20 min from Hartford, more like 40. As Lego expands, it makes sense it would want to be in a place close to a large international airport.
I dunno, I’ll miss the charm of the headquarters being in such a nonchalant community, but I get why they’re doing it
I wonder if some tax law changed recently or something. I can't imagine moving your headquarters just to be closer to another company division. Especially in the age of Zoom.
@peterlmorris said:
"Boston is a dump, like its big brother the Big Apple, and its little sister Philadelphia. The once great cities of the northeast are all decayed husks where only a few bright spots remain. The rest is just urban wasteland, overrun with crime and grime. Baltimore, Trenton, Newark, heck I’ve heard even Hartford has gone downhill. But the rest I’ve seen with my own eyes.
There’s a reason these states and cities keep losing population. And it’s got everything to do with who keeps getting elected there.
LEGO is making an awful choice that they’ll come to regret. "
Of course, we all know how peaceful, calm, quiet, thoughtful, and non-opinionated Bwawstin types tend to be. Or, is that just the lovely spawn they send throughout the U.S.?
There are plenty here in Denver we'd be thrilled to return. Lego has always had a fairly lenient return policy, right?
This is how I learn Boston is in Massacussets. I need to work on my american geography.
@Balthazar_Brannigan said:
" @peterlmorris You said you've seen Boston with your own eyes, but have you been recently? I'm not a city person at all (outside of LEGO sets), but Boston is actually quite charming. Many of the streets are tree-lined, and there are lots of green areas spread around the city, including almost all of the waterfront areas. It's pretty quiet, as far as cities go, and very green and walkable. A friend of mine was actually surprised at how clean, quiet, and pest-free the T stations were in contrast to other cities. It's not perfect, but it's got a lot of good things going for it. It's also definitely an education and talent hub, per LEGO's press release, and its population is growing accordingly. (Also, as an aside, Philadelphia has 2.5x the population of Boston, so if anything, Philadelphia is Boston's big sibling.)
@560heliport I have absolutely no desire to move to Texas or Florida either, or even really to visit them. I'd rather spend my time and resources in places that respect myself and my friends. (They're also way too hot!)"
I went to Boston with my family 4 years ago. Stayed there for 5 days - had two very scary incidents at the main street in daytime with homeless people attacking us. My kids (then age 4 and 8) are still to this day afraid of homeless people. yes the city is clean looking but to me very scarry. I wouldn't visit again...
@LuvsLEGO_Cool_J said:
"Frankly, I’m surprised. Instagram had a quick video tour of their Enfield offices just the other day, and then this news. I’m kinda shocked. All of us here in the US, since childhood, will remember seeing “Enfield, CT” on our LEGO boxes. As a kid I always asked myself “where is Enfield?”"
Still sad that they abandoned us here in Colorado to move to Connecticut. JK. I'm not that old!
Seriously, it makes me wonder if the copious amount of bulk brick that my family was able to accumulate had something to do with the Lego plant just up the road? We didn't have funds for many new sets, but we had lots of bricks.
This move is all about being able to attract more talent to the organization. There is a much larger, more sustainable talent pool in Boston than in Enfield.
The nastiness of the regional comments is disappointing to see.
I remember looking up Einfield on the map when I was a kid, hoping to go there one day (and thinking I could just walk inside or something).
I'm not a big fan of Boston, but it makes sense that they can find and keep more talent there than in Einfield.
But I'm posting because of that strange name... Skip Kodak!! ... This is a Clem Fandango moment for me...
What would his assistant, Gostraight Todigital think of this change?
Its truly sad to see them leave Connecticut. I live an hour away from Einfield and even though I never been to the offices (no Lego store on site). I was always happy to know they were here. Another employer that goes from CT to Boston.
@peterlmorris said:
"Boston is a dump, like its big brother the Big Apple, and its little sister Philadelphia. The once great cities of the northeast are all decayed husks where only a few bright spots remain. The rest is just urban wasteland, overrun with crime and grime. Baltimore, Trenton, Newark, heck I’ve heard even Hartford has gone downhill. But the rest I’ve seen with my own eyes.
There’s a reason these states and cities keep losing population. And it’s got everything to do with who keeps getting elected there.
LEGO is making an awful choice that they’ll come to regret. "
The actual reason for the population loss is due to southern states having cheaper homes (at least in suburbs) and better climate. In these NE big cities, the reason property values are so high is because they are cities, where there is typically not enough housing for everyone. It has very little to do with politics.
@bealegopro said:
"The actual reason for the population loss is due to southern states having cheaper homes (at least in suburbs) and better climate. In these NE big cities, the reason property values are so high is because they are cities, where there is typically not enough housing for everyone. It has very little to do with politics. "
It's a combination of high demand and politics. I, as a resident of New England and MA in particular, want to live in a state with protections for workers and people, one that actually values what I value, and is overall a pleasant place to live. It helps that there are lots of good jobs and caring communities. There is still a lot of work to be done, but at least we're moving forward and not rushing back decades. This is partly why demand is high; clearly I'm not the only one who values these types of things.
There are a good number of US states that I will not travel to under current circumstances. This is a shame, because there are plenty of good people and things to see everywhere, but quite frankly it's not safe.
Boston is still New England, so not really much of a change. They could have chosen somewhere else that wasn't on one of the coasts, but they are apparently married to that part of the country.