TOY MAKER LEGO warned it may be unable to deliver all European orders in the run-up to Christmas due to strong demand, meaning some shoppers could face empty shelves.

“When we get new orders we will face a challenge in some markets in Europe to ship those orders to the stores,” spokesman Roar Rude Trangbaek said.

“This comes on top of a first half of 2015 where we really outperformed our expectations for how sales would develop.”

All orders already been placed by retailers will be delivered, he added. The privately held group declined to say which product ranges could be affected.

Around 60% of Lego’s annual consumer sales typically are yet to be made at this time of the year, Trangbaek said.

Source: AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana

The group plans to meet rising demand by investing “significantly in factories in Mexico, Hungary and Denmark” until 2022, it said.

We anticipate welcoming thousands of new employees to the group as we continue to expand our global presence,” chief financial officer John Goodwin said in a statement.

Figures released in September showed that first-half revenue increased 23% to 14.1 billion kroner (€1.89 billion), putting the Danish company ahead of its US-based rivals Mattel – maker of Barbie – and Hasbro, whose products include the Transformers toy line.

Source: AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos

Net profit grew 31% to 3.55 billion kroner, making it more profitable than its two competitors.

The Lego City, Technic and Star Wars lines were among the most popular in the period, while new launches such as Jurassic World and the girl-focused LegoElves “were received very positively,” the company said.

© – AFP 2015