Care for Education’s
Care for Education’s play-based approach encouragescollaboration and innovation.New products are doing well, according to Imhof, includingamong adults. “We have quite a success among LEGO User Groups(LUGs),” he says. “They make their own concepts and designs anddisplay them at events.”Flowers and super-heroes are popular but among SouthAfricans, cars are especially popular, Imhof reports: “South Africanslove cars, everything related to them is popular!”SustainabilitySustainability is a word that every company has to think abouttoday. Imhof says that the concept is being carefully considered:“We want to make a brick that moves away from the old days.”Workstreams within the company are tackling issues such aspackaging, the composition of the bricks themselves and thecircular economy more generally. Regarding packaging, Imhofsays that the plastic bags which have numbers on them willbe replaced by paper bags. On the bricks: “We are working onrecyclable plastic; we want to find sustainable plastic.” Variousoptions are being tested, including using sugarcane as a material.On the circular economy, Imhof asks, “What happens to bricksthat are not being used any more. Couldn’t we take them back intothe cycle? Gift them perhaps to people who can’t afford new ones.”An obstacle to a scheme like that is that so many people treasuretheir LEGO sets. “True,” responds Imhof, “but there are other ownerswhere it probably just sits somewhere.” There is a scheme in the UKwhere the company offers to take Lego bricks from people who areno longer using them. They are then recycled and put back into use.“The logic of that,” says Imhof, “is that more and more as acompany, we are asking how we can take care of all the physicaland material things.” In building a circular economy, brick by brick.About the LEGO GroupThe LEGO Group’s mission is to inspire and develop the buildersof tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO System inPlay, with its foundation in LEGO bricks, allows children andfans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine. TheLEGO Group was founded in Billund, Denmark, in 1932 by OleKirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish wordsLEg GOdt, which mean “Play Well”. Today, the LEGO Groupremains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund.However, its products are now sold in more than 120 countriesworldwide.“This is how you build a city, Mr Mayor.” City of Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis looks on as the next generation of architects choosetheir materials.18 | www.opportunityonline.co.za
The LEGO brand in South AfricaA premium toy offering that also attracts an adult collector.RETAILRobert Greenstein, the founder and owner of Great Yellow BrickCompany, tells the story of how South Africa came to have itsown stand-alone LEGO stores.What was your earliest experience of the brand?One of the earliest gifts that I received as a child was a LEGO set. Imust have been six or seven years old when my parents gave mea train set for my birthday. I have very fond memories of spendingcountless hours rebuilding different sets with it.How did it come about that you formedGreat Yellow Brick Company?Together with my business partners, we saw the opportunity for adestination LEGO brand experience in South Africa. We identifiedthat while LEGO sets were obviously available to purchase, thecustomer experience and selection was not up to the standard ofwhat was on offer in other markets. South Africa has a mature retaillandscape and we believed strongly that a stand-alone LEGO storewould be well supported by the South African consumer.Are the partners in other ventures together?Combined, we have a strong experience in other retail markets,including some specialised luxury markets as well as more highvolumeretail.How do you decide on the location of a LEGOstore, and why the Waterfront?In looking for new locations, we place a very high value on qualityfoot traffic. We took into account that the LEGO brand is a premiumtoy offering that also attracts an adult collector. It’s important that weplace new stores in high-traffic areas to entice the impulse shopper,but to also ensure that we are easy to find and accessible to ourregular repeat customers. The Waterfront is such a key destination,not only in Cape Town but in South Africa as a whole. Customersfamiliar with LEGO experiences often seek out a local store whenvisiting a new city, making the Waterfront an obvious location choicefor Capetonians and visitors.Shackleton’s ship that sank in 1912. Besides the fascinating storybehind it, it’s also relevant locally as it was a South African expeditioncrew that recently discovered the sunken wreck.Do you support the adult clubs that makeunique designs from LEGO sets?Absolutely! There are fantastic clubs in South Africa (Cape Town,Johannesburg and Durban) that all promote the wonderful buildingexperience that the LEGO brand has to offer.Is your relationship based on a franchise model?No, it is a licence model. We hold the licence for the LEGO CertifiedStores in South Africa. This helps the LEGO brand ensure a consistentlevel of retail excellence and delivery in the South African market.Have you been to Billund in Denmark?Yes, we have been fortunate to visit Billund. It’s a truly fascinatingtown. We have been privileged to meet various designers and getexposure to the planning process for new and exciting LEGO sets forour market. It’s also an opportunity to plan exciting marketing andengagement activities for the stores.Would you be interested in rolling out a LEGO Landor something more than a store?It’s been discussed but we would really need to understand theviability within our market. We’re quite a small market compared toother countries where a LEGO Land has been created.What determines the speed of the rollout of stores?We have to assess every location on its long-term merits. The speedof rollout is thus based on the long-term viability of the location aswell as the quality of the location in the mall. It’s not easy to find thebest locations in well-established malls, so one has to be patient.What is trending?The botanicals theme has grown significantly. Over and abovethat, we have various fantastic “passion-points”. The latest releaseis the Endurance Ship, which is a beautiful reincarnation of ErnestRobert Greenstein.PHOTO: Robyn Davie Photography www.opportunityonline.co.za | 19
