Latest news with #BhavanaMandon
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
LEGO Group opens south India's first LEGO® certified store in Bengaluru
The LEGO Group, partnering with Ample Group, has launched South India's first LEGO Certified Store in Bengaluru's Orion Mall, spanning 2,100 square feet. Following the success of its Delhi NCR store, which attracted over 100,000 visitors in its first month, this expansion aims to replicate that success in the tech-savvy, family-oriented city. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads In a major expansion of its retail footprint in India, The LEGO® Group in partnership with the Ample Group has opened South India's first LEGO® Certified Store at Orion Mall in across 2,100 square feet, the new store marks a key milestone in LEGO's growing presence in the Indian market and brings its signature experiential format to the southern launch builds on the resounding success of India's first LEGO® Certified Store, which opened in Delhi NCR earlier this year. That store drew over 100,000 visitors in its first month, signaling strong consumer interest and demand for the globally beloved toy brand. Located in the DLF Mall of India in Noida, the Delhi store became a destination for families, collectors, and LEGO® enthusiasts from across the capital Bengaluru's reputation as a tech-savvy, family-oriented city that serves as a gateway to major southern cities like Chennai, Coimbatore, Mysuru, and Mangalore, the Orion Mall store is poised to replicate and potentially surpass that success."India is a dynamic and exciting market for the LEGO® Group and we are excited to increase our retail presence in the country with the Ample group. The reception to the first LEGO® certified store in Delhi NCR was exceptionally heartening for us to see and only re-enforced our belief that India has enough LEGO® love to welcome more certified stores in the country. With our Bengaluru store, we aim to gradually start expanding our retail footprint in some of the biggest metros,' said Bhavana Mandon, General Manager, LEGO® India store offers a fully immersive LEGO® experience lik the signature 'Pick-a-Brick' wall, the Build-a-Mini station where shoppers can customize their own mini-figures, and exclusive themed zones featuring Marvel Superheroes, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Ninjago, City, Technic, and more. These are complemented by eye-catching model showcases, social-media-ready photo-op walls, and interactive stations to keep shoppers of all ages to the company, over 250 exclusive LEGO® sets—available only through certified stores in India—will be offered at this location, alongside a new loyalty program aimed at deepening customer engagement. 'This launch is not just a store opening—it is a celebration of creativity, imagination, and community,' said Rajesh Narang, Founder and CEO of Ample expansion aligns with LEGO's broader omnichannel strategy in India, blending physical retail spaces with a growing online presence to serve a rapidly evolving customer base. '"This store launch at Orion Mall marks a significant milestone, seamlessly blending the LEGO® Group's globally recognized brand values. With India expected to grow at 6.5% in 2025, it is a strategic market for global retail,' said Sunil Munshi, COO – Retail, Brigade Group, founded in 1996, has emerged as a leader in premium retail development in India. With a network of over 100 stores and partnerships with global brands like Apple, Bose, ASICS, and Under Armour, Ample's collaboration with LEGO® strengthens its position as a retail innovator in the Indian market.
Business Standard
11-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
LEGO® India and Blinkit Celebrate World Play Day with a Click and a LEGO® Brick
VMPL New Delhi [India], June 11: This World Play Day, LEGO® India is turning up the fun! In a special partnership with quick-commerce platform Blinkit, LEGO® sets are now available for instant delivery across 20+ cities in India. To make moments of creativity even more accessible and joyful for families across India, Blinkit is offering exciting LEGO® sets, including LEGO® City F1 Driver with McLaren Race Car, LEGO® Creator Mighty Dinosaurs, Mercedes-AMG F1 W14 E Performance Pull-Back, LEGO® Disney Princess Twirling Ariel Building Set & Fantasy Toy Model and many others. The partnership launched with a social media campaign on Instagram highlighting the importance of play and encouraging audiences to rediscover creativity through quick, playful moments, made accessible with Blinkit. The LEGO® Group is also running a contest on the occasion of World Play Day on June 11, where participants can build and share their Play Day moment to win LEGO® Sets! The campaign brings alive the brand's vision of learning through play by enabling instant access to LEGO® Sets and inspiring builders of all ages to embrace the power of imagination. Play Has No Age Limit At the heart of the campaign lies a simple message: play is for everyone. The LEGO® Group's Play Well report shows that 76% adults in India recognise that play is something they wish they were doing more often, & over 4 in 5 parents wish they could play more as a family, whether you're 7 or 70, There is a LEGO® set for everyone and Blinkit ensures that the joy of building, one brick at a time, is never too far away. The two brands are achieving this through strategic homepage placement that positions LEGO® sets alongside daily essentials, making creative play as accessible as ordering groceries. Blinkit's quick delivery network means that inspiration can be acted upon immediately - a parent can order a LEGO® set during their child's afternoon nap and have it delivered before they wake up. The platform's curated selection focuses on toys, ensuring the right building experience is available for every skill level and interest. Whether it's a quick build between meetings or a family session on the weekend, the experience of play is now just a few taps away. "At The LEGO® Group, we believe that play is essential to learning, creativity, and connection," said Bhavana Mandon, Country Manager, LEGO® India. "World Play Day is a reminder that play is a powerful tool that helps children and adults express themselves, solve problems, and bond with each other. This campaign is a celebration of those everyday moments that have the potential to unlock big ideas. By making play more accessible and spontaneous, we hope to encourage more families to build, imagine, and connect through the joy of LEGO® sets." Build your moment of play. Discover the LEGO® collection on Blinkit today: About The LEGO® Group The LEGO® Group's mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow through the power of play. The LEGO® System in Play, with its foundation in LEGO® bricks, allows children and fans to build and rebuild anything they can imagine. The LEGO® Group was founded in Billund, Denmark in 1932 by Ole Kirk Kristiansen, its name derived from the two Danish words Leg Godt, which mean "Play Well". Today, the LEGO® Group remains a family-owned company headquartered in Billund. Its products are now sold in more than 120 countries worldwide. For more information:
Mint
28-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
Inside India's first Lego store in Gurugram
I still remember the first time I held a Lego brick. It was in the mid-80s, and my father had brought back a police command base set from one of his trips abroad. It soon transformed into a suburban home, then a makeshift moon base as we added bricks and pieces from other sets over the years. Fast forward nearly 40 years, and life's come full circle as I travel the world and drop into Lego stores to pick up sets that I can build with my now 12-year-old. Yet, each visit to stores abroad, from New York to London, has always raised one question—when will it come to India? Well, that question has finally been put to rest as Lego threw open the doors to its first Lego Certified Store at Ambience Mall in Gurugram. Spanning 4,500 square feet, it is the brand's largest store in South Asia. Walking into it felt like stepping through a portal, with the scent of fresh plastic bricks, the multicoloured explosion of sets lining the shelves (everything from the Friends and Icons to the Technic and the Botanicals collections), fully built sets on display, play tables, and features that are essential to Lego stores, like a Pick-a-Brick Wall, Build-a-Minifigure Station and a rare Minifigure Factory. Then there are the uniquely Indian models and installations—a near-life-sized cricketer minifigure greeting fans as they enter the store, and a 13,589-piece mosaic of India Gate. The pièce de resistance is a scaled-down 76,000-piece model of the front of a typical Indian truck; fans can pop behind the wheel for a photo. Bhavana Mandon, country manager at Lego India, says the brand has been very mindful to deliver a rich Indian experience, and that little elements of Delhi and its cultural fabric will be visible across the store. John Seemon, a techie and a passionate Lego collector for over 25 years, acknowledges the tantalizing role that the built-up sets play in influencing his purchases: 'More than once, I've ended up buying a set that wasn't on my radar…something about seeing the finished build pulls you in…the kind of inspiration you don't get when shopping online". On launch day, the store was bursting at the seams. In between the squeals of children and adults posing for photographs with their purchases, I caught a quiet moment at the Build-a-Minifigure station where an eight-year-old girl outfitted a character to look like herself, and exclaimed, 'This is me, Mumma!" to her mother. In that moment, I was taken back 40 years, to the kid who first discovered his lifelong love for this 'highly sophisticated interlocking brick system' we know as Lego. If you're new to the brand, walking into a LEGO store can be a viscerally overwhelming experience, even as the stores are organized neatly into the various themes and categories (toddlers, adults) for most folks to walk right up to the shelves that most interest them. Close at hand are the LCS staff, all of whom are well trained to answer questions, offer recommendations, and assist with purchases, and many of them share that infectious love for building. For a brand that's been aspirational in India and sustained by generations of parents bringing back sets when they travelled abroad, the availability has improved over the past five years, with big toy retailers and e-commerce platforms stepping in. The store adds a touch-and-feel experience for the growing Lego fandom in India, from the interactive play zones where children can sit and build—no screens, no instruction, just raw imagination at work—to the Pick-a-Brick wall, where serious builders can buy large quantities of specific bricks for their custom builds. Vimal Sasidharan, a Bengaluru-based commercial pilot and a collector with close to 100 sets, says he is 'always blown away by the seeing life-sized builds in stores, and the ability to interact with incredibly complex builds up close serves as a reminder of how playful and limitless creativity can be". Lego collectors and builders, this writer included, have often bemoaned the fact that India trailed global launches by months, and some sets never came to Indian stores. Seemon says he has sourced sets and parts from abroad in the past, and had to 'deal with international shipping, and pay customs. It's been a bit of a mission every time". The certified store is likely to address this gaping void, with near-same-day availability as the rest of the world. Dhara Mehta, a media professional turned education entrepreneur, who was introduced to Lego via her three-year-old's interest in the sets, runs an activity centre in Mumbai that aims to spark creativity and imagination through these bricks. As a learning tool for children, it improves fine motor skills, spatial reasoning and problem-solving abilities while fostering creativity, patience and social skills, she says. 'This is not just a toy for kids but a superb hobby for adults to pick up as well," she adds. Ritam Bhatnagar, a media entrepreneur, is another adult super-fan who created a custom Lego mosaic for the launch. For AFOLs (adult fans of Lego) and long-term faithfuls, many of whom have kept the fandom alive despite the odds, the store is a place for community, to congregate with like-minded fans. Some, as Seemon describes it, see it as a pilgrimage, where fans of all ages are welcomed. And leave, likely with lighter wallets, happier. Fan's Glossary AFOL: Adult Fan of Lego MINIFIGURE/MINIFIG: Little Lego people included in most sets MOC: My Own Creation, anything built with Lego bricks without instructions BUILDER: Lego fan whose primary interest is building MOCs COLLECTOR: Lego fan whose primary interest is collecting official sets STUD/ANTI-STUD: The circular bumps on the pieces that fit inside the anti-studs below another piece to form Lego's interlocking system
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
The Lego Group launches first certified-store in India
MUMBAI: The Lego Group on Friday launched its first certified store in India at Ambience Mall, Gurugram, in collaboration with the Ample Group. The Gurugram store will be followed by a second launch at Bengaluru's Brigade Orion Mall in June, with more stores planned across the country in the coming years. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Spanning over 4,500 sq. ft., the store is now the largest Lego Certified Store in South Asia. 'India is one of our fastest-growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region, and we see strong long-term potential here. For the last three, we have been growing at a strong double digit growth and expected to build on that growth momentum in the next five years as well. Our strategic focus is on building a deeper connection with Indian families through a robust retail and brand presence. The opening of our first Certified Store in Gurugram marks a key milestone in this journey. It is the first step in a phased expansion plan that will see us open more stores across key cities,' India is one of our fastest-growing markets in the Asia-Pacific region, and we see strong long-term potential here. For the last three, we have been growing at a strong double digit growth and expected to build on that growth momentum in the next five years as well. Our strategic focus is on building a deeper connection with Indian families through a robust retail and brand presence. The opening of our first Certified Store in Gurugram marks a key milestone in this journey. It is the first step in a phased expansion plan that will see us open more stores across key cities,' Bhavana Mandon, Country Manager at LEGO India told TOI. The company is also contributing to the broader toy ecosystem through initiatives like its collaboration with The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) under the aegis of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), to support the upskilling of toy designers and engineers in India. Alongside regular workshops and build sessions in-store, the firm aims to expand access to its global portfolio and create more locally relevant experiences. 'India has a strong foundation of curiosity and imagination, and we are committed to supporting it by growing our presence in a way that puts creativity, community and long-term value at the core,' Mandon said.
Time of India
23-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Lego debuts in India with 4,500-square-foot store in Gurugram, the largest in South Asia; know what's next
The Lego store has finally opened its first store in India after a long wait. The Danish toymaker, the Lego Group, has launched its 4,500-square-foot store at Ambience Mall, Gurugram. It is the largest LEGO Store in South Asia. With the inauguration of the store, Lego is shifting from selling its products online and via other retailers like FirstCry and Hamleys towards having its own physical location. The store features over 800 products, including 250 sets that are only available at Lego stores. Lego store in India promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience The global toy giant company has entered the Indian market in collaboration with retail leader Ample Group and has unveiled a vibrant outlet. Not only that, but it also promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience, as it is a blend of physical and digital products that bring spirit to life. Lego eyes big on Indian market For Lego lovers, this is an iconic Danish brand, and having a full-fledged store in India for the first time is a dream come true. But for Ample Group, it is a strategic leap as India's economy eyes a 6.3 per cent growth in 2025, fueled by rising consumer demand and a policy push for retail. A look at India's toy market According to a 2024 Exim Bank report, the value of the Indian toy market was $1.5 billion in 2022 and is expected to rise at a compound annual rate of 12 per cent to reach $3 billion by 2028. However, Lego intends to accelerate its expansion, aiming for double-digit growth by 2032. In close collaboration with the Ample Group, we are excited to offer the LEGO brand experience to India. Moreover, according to Bhavana Mandon, Country Manager, Lego India, over the next two years, the company plans to open stores at numerous locations to let more Indians discover the joy of play, and they are establishing the groundwork for a robust retail presence. To stay updated on the stories that are going viral follow Indiatimes Trending.
