Via een persbericht heeft LEGO laten weten dat ze Bricklink hebben gekocht. De koop zal voorlopig geen gevolgen hebben op de gang van zaken op Bricklink.

LEGO koopt Bricklink

De acquisitie heeft een reden. LEGO is de afgelopen jaren steeds meer aan het inzetten op de AFOL community. Bricklink is de grootste LEGO marktplaats ter wereld en de thuisbasis voor veel AFOL. Door de aankoop wilt LEGO de band tussen het bedrijf en hun fans versterken. Voorlopig zullen er geen grote veranderingen plaats gaan vinden. LEGO geeft aan dat ze de onafhankelijkheid van het platform willen respecteren. Hieronder kun je het persbericht lezen.

BILLUND, Denmark, November 26, 2019:  The LEGO® Group today announced it has acquired BrickLink Ltd (www.bricklink.com), the world’s largest online community of adult LEGO fans from NXMH to strengthen its connection with its important adult fan base.

The BrickLink platform has more than one million members and comprises an online marketplace of more than 10,000 stores from 70 countries; a digital building software where builders can design and showcase their creations; and a vibrant online community where fans share ideas and builds.

The platform was founded in 2000 by Dan Jezek as a way to connect like-minded adult LEGO fans from around the world.  It was acquired in 2013 by NXMH, which is owned by Korean entrepreneur Jung-Ju “Jay” Kim. BrickLink is headquartered in Irvine, California. 

The LEGO Group CEO, Niels B Christiansen said: “Our adult fans are extremely important to us.  They are passionate, committed and endlessly creative.  We have worked closely with the community for many years and look forward to deepening our collaboration.  We plan to continue to support BrickLink’s active marketplace and evolve the digital studio which allows our talented fans to take their creativity to the next level.”

Jung-Ju “Jay” Kim, owner of NXMH, said: “It has been a privilege to lead the transformation of BrickLink during the past six years.   I am grateful to the community for being so welcoming, supportive and constructive.  I am constantly amazed by everyone’s endless creativity and their love for building.  I am confident the platform will be in good hands with the LEGO Group. As a fan myself, I can’t wait to see what’s next.”

The LEGO Group’s Chief Marketing Officer, Julia Goldin, said:  “BrickLink provides the LEGO Group with a unique opportunity to connect with adult fans through new channels and exciting experiences.  We’ve recently collaborated with BrickLink on a range of crowd-sourced sets to celebrate the 60^th anniversary of the brick.  We learned a lot and are keen to explore more ways of working together to create value.  We look forward to collaborating further with our adult fans, while retaining and nurturing the independent spirit of the digital platform.”

The acquisition also includes Sohobricks which makes small batches of building elements.

Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. Closing is expected to occur before the end of 2019. 

Wat vind jij van dit nieuws?

We zijn benieuwd wat jij vindt van de aankoop van Bricklink door LEGO. Zie je dit als een stap in de goede richting of ben je juist bang dat LEGO hierdoor de regie gaat bepalen? Laat het weten in een reactie onder dit artikel of via social media.