Thursday, October 29th, 2009
It seems like everywhere you look, retailers are closing shop and filing bankruptcies, and empty storefronts are lining the streets. Last year we saw the closing of retail giants, Circuit City and Linens N’ Things, and luxury retailers such as Versace also closed stores around the world. So why is it that Legoland Discovery Center, an attraction centered on the LEGO building blocks, is opening stores in Chicago, Dallas and Atlanta?
I believe Legoland sees an opportunity in the recession because consumers are looking for free or affordable cost entertainment in their malls. This trend also corresponds to a consumer who expects their news to be free on the web. Consequently, we see malls across the globe add entertainment and amusement venues to draw consumers who have relegated shopping to obligatory time, which is something close to work. These consumers are bored with the same stores in every mall and with higher gas prices, lost home values and depressed 401K accounts they do not have the funds for a shopping spree.
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Tags: bahrain, Disney Store, Dubai, entertainment, lego, Legoland, mall of emirates, malls, shopping center, shopping mall, ski dubai, wahoo water park
Posted in Culture, Real Estate, Retail, Shopping Centers | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Reprinted from Atlanta Journal Constitution
A Legoland Discovery Centre – a small indoor attraction based on the tiny plastic brick children’s toys from Denmark – is being planned for metro Atlanta, a broker said Friday.
The company that will develop it – Merlin Entertainment Group of the United Kingdom – may also seek to bring its wax museum brand — Madame Tussauds — to Atlanta, said Howard Samuels, the company’s national broker with Samuels & Co. in Los Angeles.
The location for the Legoland attraction – which would charge admission of $15 for kids and $19 for adults – is still in negotiations, Samuels said. The attraction would include an Atlanta skyline made of Legos.
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Tags: amusement, Atlanta, entaintment, lego, Legoland, world of coke
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Reprinted from North County Times
A proposal to build a 254-room, Lego-themed hotel at the Legoland California amusement park won the support it needed Tuesday from the Carlsbad City Council.
The state’s Coastal Commission also is expected to soon sign off on the plans, but when construction will begin is uncertain, project backers said, adding that it depends on national economic conditions.
“We need to see signs of recovery first,” Legoland general manager Peter Ronchetti told the City Council. (more…)
Tags: amusement, amusement park, hotel, lego, Legoland, Legoland Hotel
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Wednesday, October 28th, 2009
Reprinted from Star-Telegraph
A $12 million Legoland Discovery Centre, an attraction centered on the popular children’s building blocks, will be coming to Grapevine Mills mall, the city said Tuesday.
The only other U.S. Legoland Discovery Centre opened last year outside Chicago. Legoland Discovery Centre and the Legoland theme park in California are developments of U.K.-based Merlin Entertainment Group, reportedly the world’s second-biggest operator of visitor attractions.
The Grapevine City Council and the board of the Tax Increment Financing District No. 1, which was established several years ago for the mall, approved a two-phase, $1 million incentive package for the project. Merlin Entertainment will receive $500,000 when it completes the facility and $500,000 when it completes an accompanying 10,000-square-foot miniature golf facility made from Legos. (more…)
Tags: amusement, Dallas, entertainment, Grapevine, lego, Legoland, shopping mall
Posted in Industry News | 1 Comment »