LEGO distribution is not a simple opposition between direct sales and resellers.
LEGO distribution is not a simple opposition between direct sales and resellers. In 2025, the Group reported 214 company-operated stores, 800 certified stores, 57 travel-retail outlets and 41 partner-operated stores in LEGOLAND parks and Discovery Centres. LEGO.com covered 35 markets. The decision is to give each channel a precise role, then organise price, assortment, data, experience and partner treatment without inventing margins the report does not publish.
Decision and method.
Define the economic and experiential role of each channel, the missing information to acquire and the rules that make coexistence manageable. Map only verifiable footprint facts; distinguish acquisition, transaction, experience, advice, delivery, service and community. Measure net contribution, fixed and variable costs, data availability and experience quality without filling gaps. Set observable, equitable and revisable rules for price, promotion, availability, assortment, service and data access.
Documented historical case.
In decision 21-D-02 of 27 January 2021, the French Competition Authority examined a functional rebate that could disadvantage online sellers, notably those without physical stores. LEGO France undertook to redefine rebate criteria, improve transparency and report implementation. This proves that hybrid architecture needs verifiable rules; it does not describe LEGO’s current policy in France or elsewhere.
Research and limits.
A study of consumer electronics finds heterogeneous retailer responses after a manufacturer opens direct distribution; it does not predict LEGO. A survey of 516 retail buyers in Peru links distinct omnichannel integrations to customer experience but proves neither universal causality nor LEGO financial performance. A 2012 Finnish fan-community study does not make the community a legal distribution channel. Public 2025 data do not disclose margin, service cost or data access by format.
Resources and sources.
Download the LEGO channel matrix. Related: choose a channel architecture, calculate cost to serve, organise omnichannel journeys, prevent price-channel conflict. Sources: LEGO Annual Report 2025 (opens in a new tab); French Competition Authority decision 21-D-02 (opens in a new tab); the three full-text studies listed in the French source.