A VLC member noticed on the Oakridge mall website this link which seems to indicate it will be in the West Galleria somewhere, but no lease is signed, according to the Vancouver Sun article below. Spring of 2012 can’t come soon enough.
p.s. And yes, Melody, it excites us too!
Original source Vancouver Sun Jan 11th, 2011
The final pieces of a business deal that will allow Danish toy maker The Lego Group to open its first British Columbia store this April are snap-ping into place.
“We’re thrilled,” said Katrina Perkins, marketing director at Vancouver’s Oakridge Centre, the pending location for the famed Lego brand.
“[Lego] has a wide universal appeal to a lot of people. Kids love it, but there are a lot of adults who love it as well,” Perkins said.
The toy company, now 80 years old, has a growing presence in Canada, with stores in Calgary and Toronto.
Perkins said the Oakridge store is expected to be about 2,000 square feet and located close to a children’s play space.
“The store is very dynamic. It’s inter-active. There is a lot of fun stuff happening in there,” she said.
A spokeswoman with The Lego Group declined to comment on the company’s move into British Columbia, noting a formal lease agreement has yet to be signed.
Lego has seen continued growth over the past five years, with double-digit growth rates in sales, according to its corporate website.
Future plans outlined on the site include further expansion into the U.S. market, the world’s largest market for toys, and Eastern Europe.
China, Mexico, Brazil and India are also identified as countries with key growth potential for the toy company.
Perkins said Oakridge’s youthful demographics and central location likely played a strong role in attracting the company to Vancouver.
Families make up about 50 per cent of Oakridge shoppers, with the balance averaging between 25 and 55 years.
She added: “We’re always trying to bring in the latest and greatest retail concepts to our shopper in Vancouver. If we can bring in a retailer of a calibre like Lego, we’re thrilled to be able to do so.”
dahansen@vancouversun.com
Twitter.com/darahhansen
