Lego And The Toy Industry

There was the change in the business strategy in the company that was brought up by the new CEO. The strategy was to survive, cut costs, sell businesses, generate cash and ignore the dash for the growth in the immediate future. Lego was known for the traditional blocks and components that will allow children to build anything with their imagination. The business strategy was to broaden the Lego products for the other customer segments. They created the

The present paper aims at identifying pros and cons of each of the protection mechanisms and recommending the most suitable methods for the LEGO Group and at the same time enable it to enjoy its freedom to operate.

LEGO, today, has become a household name but it hasn't always been that successful. Throughout the years, it has survived and thrived against all odds, repeatedly.

The Lego Group tried to catch up the market trends during the period, but they ignored that the industry total profit pool decreased by 50% Between 1999 and 2003. It's naturally for players to reduce mass production and focus on core competency. However, the Lego Group invested significantly in expansion not only in brick-based product lines, but also beyond the brick. The expansion was not focusing on its core competency.

At that time, the performance winners for LEGO were speed (of delivery), and flexibility (wide range of products, volume and delivery adjustments at short notice). Cost, dependability and quality were not as vital. To achieve these objectives, LEGO had made several operational decisions: Speed: • Maintain multiple distribution centres, close to key markets: 5 in Europe, 1 in USA • Maintain high stock levels, of finished product, and components so products could be assembled quickly. Flexibility: • Supply retailers both large and small, from relatively close distribution centres • Frequent, small, orders accepted • Introduce new products to the range, and discontinue old

Lego Corp was established in 1932 by founder Ole Kirk Kristiansen. With just 10 employees, they start crafting wooden construction toys. The most famous of these were the wooden duck. As the popularity of plastic toys rose in the mid-1950s, the company did away with wooden toys and started focusing on manufacturing plastic automatic binding blocks. As early as the beginning of the company, their motto was “Only the best is good enough.” High quality and safe products have been the focal point of LEGO Group for decades. Over the years LEGO Group has kept its word on that motto and has supplied millions of families with creative toys that last.

LEGO,  like  most  companies  in  the  toy  industry  are  fighting  to  stay  profitable  in  this

There are many barriers to new organizations in the toy industry, making the threat of new entrants low. Lego and other big toy companies like Mattel benefit from economies of scale. An economy of scale is achieved by lower costs through large volume production (Textbook glossary). Economies of scale can occur in many departments within the organization including production, marketing, research and development, and finance. Some manufacturing of Lego products was shifted to Central Europe and Mexico in order to benefit from lower wages and to shorten product supply chains (p. 13 of case). The management of Lego additionally holds expertise on production, distribution and customer needs; which are absent in a new organization. To enter the toy sector a potential entrant needs to calculate the start of production at a level that will give a competitive position and production costs lower than the market.

Lego, from the Danish words “leg godt” or play well, was founded by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1932 (Herman, 2012). Known for producing iconic studded plastic bricks that were enjoyed by both children and adults, Lego produced more than 30 Lego-based video games and, through licensing agreements, popular Star Wars and Harry Potter Lego sets (Baichtal & Meno, 2011). Lego also sold a series of Arctic sets including an Arctic Base Camp, Arctic Outpost, Arctic Helicrane, Lego Ice Crawler, and Arctic Snowmobile. Those sets sold for $89.99, $49.99, $39.99, $14.99, and $6.99 respectively. Lego’s 2014 film, The Lego Movie, grossed more

Advances in the field of information technology and introduction of new hi-tech form of entertainment such as tablets and gaming consoles had left Lego trailing in the entertainment field. Jorgen Vig Knudstorp was appointed as the CEO to revamp the company’s business process, organization structure and information systems. Knudstorp was quick to act and first made changes in the company’s production process. He encouraged designers to use the unused components in development of new products and design, thus reducing the number of unused

Growth strategy: With the help of growth strategy, LEGO introduced new toys in the market. Initially LEGO was something that boys liked playing with but Knudstorp introduced LEGO for girls thus targeting girl child audience which increased his market. Not only this, they also entered the video game sector by making virtual games after collaborating with Sony (which was ruling the gaming console market at that point of time). Later, they started making figures with famous characters from Hollywood movies (Star wars, Batman, The Avengers, etc.).

In 2002 and beginning of 2003 LEGO struggle with low sales and an increase in their inventory levels due to an intensification of their competitors, adapting their process as LEGO did in the beginning

LEGO Group was formed by a carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1932 in Billund, Denmark. The Word, LEGO was meant to attract kids of various age groups, it is derived from Danish phrase, “leg godt” meaning: “Play well”. Initially LEGO was produced as a wooden brick, with their motto, “Only the best is the best.” The LEGO Brick was produced in 1958 composed of interlocking tubes that offered unlimited building opportunities. The purpose of The LEGO Brick was to inspire creative and controlled problem solving, while adhering to common curiosity using your everyday imagination (Sandgaard Jensen). It was awarded “Toy of the century” by Fortune Magazine, as well as British Association of Toy Retailers. LEGOs was sold in more than 130 countries. A couple major products include: Pre-school products LEGO DUPLO, Play Themes LEGO city line, BIONICLE, and many more Licensed Products built up around movies or books also including a LEGO Education Board game. Market sizes category US, Australia, United Kingdom, New

As their name and ideal, Lego has been beloved by the children as well as the parents for decades. Not only as plastic toy bricks, but also effective educational tools, the LEGO Company enjoyed continuous growth and broaden the global brand value. The LEGO brand moved to third place in 2002/2003 with only Coca-cola and Kellogg having greater respect among families with children. Even though as the overall toy market faces challenges, LEGO’s revenue and profits are increasing rapidly, especially since 2005. This profitability didn’t change even in the current recession in the global market. The LEGO Group achieved record-breaking profits in

Currently, LEGO is one of the world’s leading manufactures of play materials. The company is guided by the motto, “Only the best is good enough,” committing to the development of children and aiming to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through creative play and learning. Valuing imagination, creativity, fun, caring, quality, and learning is what drives LEGO Group. By sticking to these values, LEGO holds themselves to the expectations that the people have towards the company and its products.