Australia’s First LEGO Store Coming To Dreamworld

For years there has been plenty of healthy debate amongst Australian LEGO fans about whether or not we need/want/would ever get a LEGO Store in Australia. At least part of that debate ends today with news from Dreamworld that they will be the site of Australia’s first Certified LEGO Store.

A Certified LEGO store isn’t quite an official LEGO store, but the differences are mainly administrative. Certified stores feature the same LEGO Store experiences – including the Pick-A-Brick wall – but are operated by a third party.

The Dreamworld store will be 350 square metres of LEGO goodness. If you are worried that the cost of Dreamworld ticket is going to make the whole thing pointless then fear not – the store will be part of a new stand-alone precinct located at the front of the park, with access from outside the park. Dreamworld passholders will get access to exclusive LEGO products and special LEGO events though.

The LEGO store will feature “The Living Room”, an interactive play area and a “brand ribbon” display of fully assembled LEGO models. The LEGO Certified Store will have exclusive sets and regular hands-on activities for children and families to experience the creativity and imagination that goes into LEGO building.

Certified LEGO stores also generally get sets at the same time as their online release, so no more waiting for exclusive sets to show up in stores.

There are likely to be plenty of LEGO fans wishing that the store was coming to a shopping centre closer to them, but a theme park location makes a heap of sense. Dreamworld is a major tourist attraction with a huge number of local, interstate and international visitors each week.

The store will open in November this year. You can read the official press release below.

Press Release

ARDENT BUILDS NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH LEGO® Australia: AUSTRALIA’S FIRST LEGO CERTIFIED STORE TO OPEN AT DREAMWORLD
Australia’s first LEGO® Certified Store will open at Dreamworld on Queensland’s Gold Coast later this year, following a new partnership agreement signed this week between global brand, The LEGO Group and Dreamworld’s parent company, Ardent Leisure.

Announcing the partnership today, Ardent Leisure CEO Deborah Thomas said the store would be the largest retail outlet at Dreamworld. Covering an area of 350 square metres, Dreamworld’s flagship LEGO Certified Store will be part of a stand-alone precinct located at the front of the park with access from within and external to the park. Construction will begin in July with the new store due to open in November 2016.

Ms Thomas said the project would be entirely funded by Ardent as part of the overall master plan for Dreamworld.

“LEGO is one of the best known, most successful and powerful global brands and we are delighted to partner with the LEGO team to further enhance and grow exclusive experiences at Dreamworld, Australia’s biggest theme park. As a LEGO Certified Store, it is designed in partnership with The LEGO Group and will have many different and exciting features, which will also include exclusive product releases and events.

“This new store will be a destination in its own right and an added attraction to the existing retailers, rides and experiences offered at Dreamworld. It is a hugely exciting development for Ardent Leisure, for Dreamworld guests and for tourism to Australia and South East Queensland,” said Ms Thomas.

Glenn Abell, General Manager for LEGO Australia and New Zealand said, “There’s no limit to the imagination and creativity that LEGO bricks can inspire. Our brand partnership with Ardent Leisure marks an exciting journey for LEGO Australia. LEGO Certified stores provide a unique and engaging LEGO Shopping experience. It is fantastic that we will be able to provide Australian children and families the opportunity to have a deeper engagement with the LEGO brand through this exciting partnership.”

Dreamworld CEO Craig Davidson welcomed the announcement as a win for the park and Gold Coast tourism: “This will not only give Dreamworld’s millions of loyal customers a powerful incentive to visit their favourite theme park more often, but offers a new world class tourism experience for the burgeoning numbers of international and Australian tourists flocking to the Gold Coast,” said Craig Davidson.

“Only last month, Trip Advisor’s ‘Travellers Choice Awards’ saw millions of international travellers vote the Gold Coast in number 2 place (displacing Melbourne) in their “Top 10 Destinations, Australia” list for 2016. Little wonder that international tourism numbers to the Gold Coast are at record highs, with Chinese visitation alone up more than 20% on last year, making it Australia’s only major tourism destination to have China as its largest source of international visitors.

“The LEGO Certified Store will be a fully immersive experience and a LEGO builder’s paradise. The store will feature a Pick-a-Brick Wall, a custom-built fixture with round canisters, each filled with LEGO bricks and elements, “The Living Room”, an interactive play area and a “brand ribbon” display of fully assembled LEGO models. The LEGO Certified Store will have exclusive sets and regular handson activities for children and families to experience the creativity and imagination that goes into LEGO building.

“With the LEGO Certified Store, our passholders and guests will have access to exclusive LEGO product and special LEGO events adding even more value and complementing Dreamworld’s current stable of great entertainment, wildlife and thrill ride experiences,” said Craig Davidson.

11 thoughts on “Australia’s First LEGO Store Coming To Dreamworld

  1. Cameron Reply

    AWSOME NEWS, I only live 15 minutes away, now I just need to get rich!

  2. Tom Reply

    Just across the M1 from my house. I’d love to get a job there, but I would spend more than I earn.

  3. Ed Reply

    One of my favourite things inside a place I absolutely loath. Hopefully dream world aren’t scum bags and don’t make it necessary to buy a park ticket in order to get any kind of sensible deal on Lego. Not going to hold my breath on it though.

    • Michael Post authorReply

      The press release indicates that this is going to be in a new area accessible from outside the park.

  4. Andrew Reply

    Get behind this people. Let’s hope that it’s massively successful, so the Lego group consider opening a store here in Melbourne, and then Sydney. I’ll run it for them if neseccary.

  5. Andrew Reply

    Living in Brisbane I’m looking forward to this store immensely. Just far enough away to make the trip feel a bit special. And I believe they already have a store slated for Chadstone in Melbourne.

  6. Stephen Reply

    There is definetely a Lego experience shop opening at Chadstone, I have seen the construction plans! It will be a shop / mini theme park. I believe it will be run by Merlin Entertainment, the same operators as the Sea Life Aquariums in Melbourne and Sydney.

  7. Niki Reply

    Will VIP promotions (points and GWPs) apply to the Dreamworld store? I may well be wrong about this, but my understanding is that LEGO stores within the Merlin-owned LEGOlands/Discovery Centres (such is coming to Chadstone) don’t honour VIP points or deals, so I wonder if the Dreamworld store will, or because they’re also third party, they won’t.

  8. Mark Reply

    Some of the language in that press release is a little disconcerting. Such as “this will not only give Dreamworld’s millions of loyal customers a powerful incentive to visit their favourite theme park more often…”. Combined with the fact that pass holders will get access to exclusives it sounds a little contrived to me. Also, why make mention of the burgeoning Chinese tourist dollar? Of course they want a return on their investment and I’m sure the experience will be great for visitors to the park but the best way to purchase Lego in this country will still be via regular retail channels during their frequent sales. And for Lego store exclusives or D2C sets wait for double VIP points or attractive promotional periods on the Lego S@H website.

Leave a Reply to Cameron Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.