LEGO has pretty much become a worldwide phenomenon since its inception in 1932, but has it reached every country? Are these colorful little construction bricks available in India? In this article, we will address this question and find out once and for all if LEGO is readily available in India.
Although there are currently no LEGO stores in India opened by the LEGO Group, the first LEGO brand store was opened in Chennai, India in 2013 by Funskool. LEGO is available through various distributors such as Flipkart but is very expensive, making it unobtainable for many people where the little money they have is spent on living costs.
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What Is Funskool?
Funskool is an Indian toy manufacturing and distribution company that was founded in 1987 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. In 2010, the company obtained exclusive distribution rights from the LEGO group to distribute all of its products in India.
Does LEGO Have A Store In India?
LEGO does not have a store in India at this time that has been opened by The LEGO Group. This can be confirmed by doing a search on the LEGO website for store locations and none come up in India.
Having said that though, there are LEGO branded stores opened by Distributor companies like Funskool. LEGO does have an online India store. The LEGO online store does not operate the same as the LEGO.com stores elsewhere in the world.
Firstly, you can tell from the screenshots below, that the menu contains fewer options in themes than the U.S. site.
Secondly, purchasing LEGO directly from the LEGO.com India site is impossible. Under each product, there is a button that says “Learn More”. Once you click on this button, it will take you to the product description page where there is a “buy” button.
If you click on the “buy” button a pop-up informs you that the item is available to purchase from Flipkart and another pop-up window informs you that you are leaving LEGO.com to go to the third-party website of Flipkart.
But when you are taken to Flipkart, you are taken to their home page and not to the product page of the item you clicked on. And often, if you search for the product you clicked on, you will not find it on the Flipkart website. In fact, most LEGO products on Flipkart have been discontinued and are marked at exorbitant prices.
The First LEGO Store In India
In 2013, the first LEGO store in India opened in the city of Chennai. The LEGO store is operated under a license by Funskool. The opening of the store was greeted with excitement by parents who were eager to find toys that are not only educational but also fun. More stores have opened since then, such as the one in Mumbai International Airport in 2021.
The store is small compared to those in Europe or the United States, but it is expected to grow as LEGO sets become more popular in India. Unlike toy stores in Europe or the United States, which predominantly sell children’s products, the LEGO store in India caters to both young and older customers.
The opening of the LEGO store in India is a sign of growing interest in LEGO products among Indian consumers. In 2016, sales of LEGO products were worth US$1 billion worldwide, and it is estimated that they will reach US$2 billion by 2020. This growth is partly due to the popularity of LEGO Star Wars sets among Indian children, who have made them into cult classics.
Most of the LEGO sets offered on flipkart.com are retired sets and the newer sets that are offered are much more expensive than the LEGO retail price. There are other secondary marketplaces in India for LEGO sets that are more reasonably priced.
What Is Flipkart?
Flipkart.com is an Indian e-commerce company that was founded in Bengaluru in 2007 and was acquired by Walmart in 2018. It is like an Indian version of Amazon and was created by former Amazon employees, Binny Bansal and Sachin Bansal. Like Amazon, the company started selling books as Amazon did and then expanded into other product categories consumer electronics, home essentials, fashion, groceries and other products.
Why Is India Not A Bigger Market For LEGO?
LEGO has been around for 90 years now and is one of the most popular toys in the world. But why is LEGO not as popular in India as it is in other parts of the world? The answer may lie in the way LEGO is marketed in India. In countries like the United States, where LEGO is more popular, toy companies like Mattel and Hasbro market their products heavily through television commercials, Disney movies, and other forms of advertising. In India, however, LEGO does not have a strong advertising presence. This means that there are not as many people who are familiar with LEGO, and consequently, there is not as much demand for it.
Where Can You Buy LEGO In India?
LEGO is available in India through a few LEGO stores as well as through a variety of retailers, including toy and department stores, online retailers, and specialty stores. You can also find LEGO sets and bricks at flea markets and toy fairs. LEGO can also be purchased through Amazon and other online marketplaces.
One such source is ubuy.co.in which sells LEGO sets for similar prices to retail. The price may still be more than the LEGO retail price but is still a lot more reasonable than the exorbitant price that is offered on Flipkart.com.
Another option to buy LEGO in India is Amazon where there are more options available and the prices are a little more than retail prices in the U.S. but less than the prices offered on Flipkart. There are also many more recent LEGO sets available than old expired ones.
Below are some good sources to buy LEGO in India.
Why Is LEGO So Expensive in India?
The answer to this question lies in the culture and poverty of the country. An article written in India Times, says that there is not a lot of attention and resources put into the toy industry in India. In India, a lot of the toys are made by small companies with limited resources in small sheds or in their backyards and the toys are made cheaply and unsafely.
Children in India still play with rudimentary toys made from clay and wood by family members. Another reason LEGO is not popular in India is poverty; many parents can’t afford to pay for quality made toys such as LEGO.
The main reason that toys are so expensive in India is that there are not a lot of toy manufacturers in India. Approximately 80% of toys are imported. High customs duties also make up 60% when you import LEGO from outside India.
The table below displays some examples of specific LEGO sets and their price in India and the price in American dollars for the same set. The Indian price has been converted to U.S. dollars. As you can see from the prices, there is a huge difference between the prices.
| LEGO SET | FLIPKART PRICE | U.S. RETAIL PRICE |
|---|---|---|
| LEGO City Car Transporter (60305) | $118.27 | $29.99 |
| LEGO DC Batman Cowl (76182) | $163.01 | $59.99 |
| LEGO City Road Plates (60304) | $62.13 | $19.99 |
| LEGO Harry Potter 4 Privet Drive (75968) | $204.66 | $69.99 |
| LEGO Marvel Black Panther Dragon Flyer (76186) | $69.03 | $19.99 |
| LEGO Minecraft The Horse Stable (21171) | $60.91 | $19.99 |
| LEGO Minecraft The First Adventure (21169) | $242.44 | $69.99 |
| LEGO Star Wars Scout Trooper Helmet (75305) | $142.29 | $49.99 |
| LEGO Star Wars Imperial Probe Droid (75306) | $171.09 | $59.99 |
| LEGO Star Wars Trouble On Tatooine (75299) | $79.58 | $29.99 |
| LEGO Star Wars Armored Assault Tank (AAT) (75283) | $114.28 | $39.99 |
| LEGO Architecture The White House (21054) | $375.26 | $99.99 |
What Is The Future For LEGO In India?
LEGO is in an early stage in India and is only available through the distributor partners named above. The LEGO market is smaller than the market in China – less than 5%. LEGO is slowly becoming more popular in India, with the market growing by approximately 25% in 2018.
The LEGO Group stated that about 80% of their business comes from themes such as city themes, kid themes, and categories such as fire station, police station, parks, and city houses. For example, LEGO-hosted activities such as a LEGO building train event at a mall in Mumbai help promote the LEGO brand and make it more popular with the Indian public.
The use of e-commerce platforms such as Flipkart has allowed the LEGO brand to expand to geographically isolated areas that would not have been previously exposed to the brand.
The mindset of consumers is also changing in India. Up until recently, consumers in India would not have thought to pay large amounts of money on branded toys.
Assisting with the new mindset is the fact that LEGO is collaborating with social influencers to promote LEGO products with non-LEGO channels. An example of this may be a video game influencer unbox ign the new LEGO atari set, which exposes the product to an audience that previously may not have been exposed. The collaboration with social influencers has inspired LEGO to choose India to create its first official LEGO user group.
To assist LEGO in scaling up their business in India, they plan on releasing Indian -themed LEGO sets that focus on popular festivities such as Diwali, Holi, Eid and maybe even Cricket.
Final Thoughts
LEGO sets are available in India, although the selection is more limited than in other countries and the prices are higher. The best place to buy LEGO in India is online from sites like Amazon or Ubuy.co.in, where you can find a wider selection of sets and better prices than at Flipkart or other Indian retailers. The high cost of imported toys and lack of a strong advertising presence means that LEGO is not as readily available in India as it is in other parts of the world.
The main reason for this is that LEGO is not marketed heavily in India and there are not many people who are familiar with the product. Additionally, poverty is a big factor in why LEGO is not as popular in India as it is in other parts of the world. A lot of parents simply can’t afford to buy quality-made toys for their children. Until these factors change, it is unlikely that LEGO will become more popular in India. The LEGO Group has predicted that it will take approximately three years to see such India-inspired LEGO products.