brickednexus: #LEGOStoreLondon grand opening

LEGO Store London Opening with Lester and Mayor Sadiq Khan

The new London Leicester Square LEGO Store is now open! And here's brickednexus's viewpoint...

Dubbed as the largest LEGO Brand Retail Store in the world, the new flagships store measures 5,420 square feet in over two floors! With a store that big, it only makes sense to go big as well when it comes to promotions. Here are a few pics:

#LEGOStoreLondon Bus

#LEGOStoreLondon Taxi

Lester in Leicester Square Station

Lester, the official mascot of the brand new LEGO Store, is featured heavily in the promotions, and as you will see later, in the store design as well. The quintessential gentleman is a big help from the countdown to the grand opening event itself. Lester was reported to spark an unexpectedly huge interest among brick fans that the initial plan of featuring him only in print and as an actual mascot was refined the last minute to convert him into brick form as well (more on this later).

Lester in the Grand Opening

Besides Lester and The LEGO Group bigwigs, London Mayor Sadiq Khan was also there to open the Leicester Square LEGO Store not only to London but also to the rest of the world.

Lester Shaking Hands with Mayor Sadiq Khan

Press the Button

It was not forgotten that the essence of LEGO is first and foremost for the kids, that is why the honor of pressing the button to unbox the biggest LEGO Store was given to majority of them.

And of course, a LEGO Store in London won't be complete without the famous Big Ben. A huge model was built from more than 200,000 bricks, towering for about 6.53 meters high. It has a working clock face, and it is illuminated at night. This is just in time for the planned renovation of the real Big Ben. At least people will still be able to see a majestic model.

Brick Built Big Ben

The store didn't fail to deliver its promise of new, exciting, and exclusive LEGO experience. In one of the show windows, there is a device that scans your hand and reveals who you are in brick form. I think it's really random but that doesn't make the gimmick less fun (especially if you get some funny or out of character minifigures).

Who Are You?

Prepare for Scanning

Scanning

You're ~~a Penguin~~ an Eskimo!

Another technological feature is the digital catalog that displays all the stocks in-store. If you don't like to browse the shelf, then this is for you. But who does that? Actually, a more practical use for this beauty is to know the available sets that are not in the shelves. My wife wanted Ariel's Undersea Palace [41063] but we can't see a set anywhere. So, we checked the digital catalog and clicked for assistance ('cause that's what it prompted us to do). Fortunately enough, there are still a few available in the stockroom.

Digital Catalog

And now, making its debut in the LEGO Store London is the Mosaic Maker.

Mosaic Maker

The Mosaic Maker booth will take your picture in real time and instantly convert it into a brick mosaic made out of small black, grey, white, and yellow bricks! How cool is that? The only setback is that it costs £99 to make one.

Pick-a-Brick (or Model) Wall

The flagship store also has the staple Pick-a-Brick (or Model) Wall. It's just a bit disappointing to learn that it's almost the same as with other LEGO Stores. Then per floor, there is a Build-a-Minifigure station each. Another letdown is that there are no exclusive parts or prints in the selection, yet. I'd like to believe that sooner or later, there'll be exclusive prints to choose from, just like in the US stores.

Exclusive sets for purchase were also minimal. The previously free gift with purchase Creator London Bus [40220] is available for £9.99. The Architecture London Skyline [21034] is released early exclusively in the flagship store and it retails at £44.99.

Selfie with Lester

Speaking of exclusive, the Lester minifigure is now considered as ultra-exclusive! During the opening weekend, you can obtain one via a scratch card after a £55 (or more) purchase. You can get either Lester or a Creator Parrot [30472] polybag. Why the lottery? The official explanation is that, as stated above, the minifigure is a bit of a last minute addition to the promotions. However, the bowler hat piece has long been discontinued making it difficult to produce enough Lesters to make everyone happy. All in all, only 275 Lesters were produced for the opening, making it super rare. As of writing, a Lester minifigure is out in the secondary market for up to £3500! But rumor has it (and I wish that this will prove to be true), more Lester minifigures will be released soon...

Freebies (Except the Bus)

Other promotions include a free LEGO Brand Retail Store [40145] for any purchase over £125, a free LEGO 24-in-1 Christmas Builds [40222] for any purchase over £60, and a free LEGO Toy Soldier Christmas Ornament [5004420] for any purchase over £25.

There were also a lot of freebies during the grand opening, from random polybags (Olaf's Summertime Fun [30397], C-3PO [5002948], etc.) to 2015's Gingerbread House [40139] set. A lot of postcards and stickers were also given away. But a first in Europe is The LEGO Store Passport. You can travel around the store then take pictures of the iconic brick builts, and have your passport stamped along the way.

Overall, the new LEGO Store London is a great addition to the wonderful points of interest in this great city. It is a must see for brick fans of all ages to have a new, exciting, and exclusive LEGO experience.

Below are more pictures from the opening weekend...