Look inside new Lego store before opening at Westfield Miranda
Take a look behind the scenes and before doors open at the brand new Lego store in Westfield Miranda.
St George Shire Standard
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A colourful array of bricks, a marvellous 3D model of a surf lifesaver and hundreds of sets waiting to be built await the opening of a new LEGO store in Westfield Miranda.
The Standard was given exclusive preview access to the recently completed shop, located near Myer, ahead of the grand opening on Thursday morning.
The store has everything LEGO fans have come to expect – from a huge range of sets to fantastic models on display and a chance to play with bricks and create unique designs.
But the Westfield Miranda shop has even more to offer with a new and different format to other stores.
“The overall look and feel of the store has been stepped up,” Matthew Robertson, managing director of LEGO Certified Stores said.
“There are more digital elements including screens to bring sets to life.
“A standout feature of the Miranda store is a custom 3D model of a large minifigure built by Brickman Ryan McNaught and his team.
“The figure is a surf lifesaver which is a nod to the coastal, surfing lifestyle of the Sutherland Shire.”
There is also a large LEGO mosaic of the iconic Figure Eight Pools in the Royal National Park.
“When we look to open a new store, we get an understanding of the area and we are happy with the results at Miranda,” Mr Robertson said.
“We worked in consultation with Brickman to execute the best designs and the outcome was amazing.”
The surf lifesaver took 315 hours to build and used 55,000 bricks whereas the mosaic took 141 hours and 16,000 bricks.
Mr Robertson said customers could pick up LEGO bricks, use them to free build and create minifigures while also looking at built displays of the sets, for an immersive store experience.
“There is a magnifying glass positioned at the height of a child so people can look closely at the detail in a built set, which is a feature of the new format stores,” he said.
Mr Robertson said Miranda Westfield was chosen as the location for a new store due to the mix of shops in the centre and the range of customers, noting the closest LEGO store was Bondi Junction which was a long way for fans to travel.
He said the location near Myer on level 3 was visible and accessible and was not in the “children’s zone” to represent the brand’s appeal to all ages.
Mr Robertson said the team were “very excited” to officially open the store following a months-long delay.
The store was supposed to be unveiled in late November or early December last year ahead of Christmas and school holidays, but shipping and manufacturing challenges in China prevented the store from being completed.
Mr Robertson said the Miranda team had received most of the stock on Monday and had raced to build the sets and get the store ready for opening.
He said LEGO appealed to all ages with infants able to play with DUPLO blocks up to sets designed for adults older than 18, with the Eiffel Tower set having more than 10,000 pieces.
The Miranda store will stock the full range of 300 sets with the displays changed regularly to keep the store fresh and promote new products.
Mr Robertson said bricks and mortar stores would always be a key to the LEGO brand because the company wanted children and adults to be able to pick up, feel and play with LEGO bricks.
“That can’t be replicated online,” he said.
Mr Robertson said the hit TV show LEGO Masters and LEGO exhibitions had helped LEGO continue to grow in popularity and engaged new consumers.
The store will officially open with a ribbon cutting at 9.30am with a renewed push on Saturday so children and families can visit the store where there will also be character appearances.
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