LEGO Store Watford closing down later this year
The LEGO Group has announced that its LEGO Store in Watford will close its doors for good later this year.
The UK-based store first opened in December 2012, but a decade on, it’s shutting up shop. The closure will coincide with the lease for the store ending in September 2022. All 11 staff members have apparently already been notified, and have also been offered jobs in other LEGO Stores (though how convenient the locations of those jobs will be is less clear).
“Within LEGO Retail, we’re constantly assessing our store portfolio to ensure we provide the best LEGO experience for our shoppers and fans,” the LEGO Group said in a statement shared on the LEGO Ambassador Network. “Unfortunately, we have made the difficult decision to close our Watford, UK store when the lease ends in September 2022.
“We understand this will be sad and frustrating news for our local LEGO fans living within the Watford area and we want to say a huge thank you for visiting and shopping in the LEGO Store Watford over the years, as we know this also includes many loyal adult fans of LEGO.”
The LEGO Group has stressed that it’s still committed to expanding the number of LEGO Stores worldwide, even while it closes one down. Ireland’s first LEGO Store is set to open this summer in Dublin (albeit without a couple of key features), while the flagship LEGO Store in Leicester Square is currently undergoing refurbishment to introduce the ‘retailtainment’ elements of other stores.
A specific closure date will apparently be shared in the months to come, but fans in the Watford area have roughly three to four months left to enjoy their local LEGO Store.
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Such a shame, we were in there today and the staff were so friendly and welcoming. The store and some amazing sets to purchase from £3.50 up to £3/400. The shop was really busy and we spent around 20mins in there and brought something.
Watford is looking a bit sparse! Shame to see another store go
I think LEGO are more than capable of managing any increase in rent. But, I just wonder how profitable the Watford store is in comparison to other stores within the U.K. portfolio? I’m more concerned for the 11 sales associates and whether LEGO will pay them the difference in fares considering the closet branches are all in London with LSQ being in Zone 1. I can’t for a second imagine LEGO putting their hands in their pockets!
This isn’t unusual with retail stores, the usual issue is that the landlord ups the lease price for the unit based on the perceived success of the store/brand name. So when the time comes to negotiate what was a reasonable rent becomes extortion.