So it’s official, the opening date for the much anticipated LEGO Store at Dreamworld has been announced on Facebook – 28 January 2017! Australia’s very first LEGO Certified Store (LCS) was originally due to open in November 2016 but due to the recent tragedy at Dreamworld and temporary closure of the theme park, the delay was sort of unavoidable.

The announcement is obviously fantastic news for Queenslanders and LEGO fans headed to the Gold Coast for the holidays and ties in quite nicely with the Australia Day public holiday.

On Facebook, they were also rather specific in claiming that the Dreamworld LCS would be the biggest LEGO Store in Australia, to give it an edge against the upcoming LEGO Store at the Melbourne Legoland Discovery Centre which will most likely be an LCS too (don’t quote me on this just yet!)

Do note that the Dreamworld LEGO Store is not an Official LEGO Brand Store – it’s a LEGO Certified Store, which is kinda the same thing, but there are a few distinct differences.

LEGO fans of all ages will be able to expect (updated)

Pick A Brick Wall – a custom-built fixture with round canisters, each filled with an assortment of LEGO bricks and elements that fans can purchase in set priced “cups” or by weight

– a custom-built fixture with round canisters, each filled with an assortment of LEGO bricks and elements that fans can purchase in set priced “cups” or by weight Build a Minifigure Station – customise up to 3 minifigures from a large variety of minifig parts and accessories.

– customise up to 3 minifigures from a large variety of minifig parts and accessories. The Living Room – an interactive play area for kids to play and creatively express themselves with LEGO bricks

– an interactive play area for kids to play and creatively express themselves with LEGO bricks LEGO Sculptures – there will be 10 life-sized LEGO models

there will be 10 life-sized LEGO models Exclusive sets (Modulars, Creator Expert, Direct to Consumer sets etc) on sale all year round. I expect that the LEGO Disney Castle will be on sale. The press release mentions “Hard-To-Find Collector’s Items”

(Modulars, Creator Expert, Direct to Consumer sets etc) on sale all year round. I expect that the LEGO Disney Castle will be on sale. The press release mentions “Hard-To-Find Collector’s Items” Regular Activities such as Monthly Mini Builds and Special Events

Oh, and you do not need a ticket to Dreamworld to enter the LEGO Certified Store as it has an entrance that is accessible to the public.

There’s been a bit of confusion about how an LCS is defined, but that’s been cleared up by LEGO in a recent blog post on the Ambassador Network.

Here’s the lowdown on what a LEGO Certified Store is:

Why LEGO Certified Stores?

Essentially, LEGO are protective about their brand and how customers perceive them. The LEGO Group Discovered more than 300 stores across the world that exclusively sold LEGO, but were not official LEGO Stores (which are operated directly by LEGO).

Being independently run, these stores had no consistent look & feel, which was a challenge to LEGO, the LEGO Certified Store program was born to give these store owners the chance to ensure that their stores fell in line with The LEGO Group’s standards.

Think of it as a franchisee system, where LEGO licenses out the “official LEGO Store look & branding”.

What can you expect at an LCS?

Like official LEGO stores, you can expect a premium, high quality retail experience for shoppers, not unlike what you’d get from an official LEGO Brand Retail store. You get the high level of customer service, a massive (often complete and inclusive of exclusives) selection of products, from LEGO sets to merchandise and events such as Monthly Builds.

LCS also have the rights to use the LEGO brand and logo across their stores.

Do LEGO Certified Stores have the VIP program?

This is the major difference between an LCS and a LEGO Brand Retail store. At LEGO Brand Retail Stores, you can use your LEGO VIP account and collect VIP points on purchases, as well as enjoy promotions like Double VIP when they run.

The LCS stores do not support the LEGO VIP program BUT, LEGO have indicated that they’re in the process of launching a loyalty program through LEGO Certified Stores.

Details are scant at the moment, but what we know is that it’ll have the same mechanics as the LEGO VIP program, but they can only be used within that particular region and only at physical stores.

There are plenty of LEGO Certified Stores around the world. Here’s a list of countries. Notice that this doesn’t include countries like the US, Canada, England and Germany, where LEGO run their own Brand Retail Stores.

Looks like we can add Australia to the list very soon!

Europe: Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Russia & Slovenia

Middle East: Bahrain, Kuwait, UAE – Abu Dhabi & UAE – Dubai

Asia/Pacific: Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore & South Korea

So that’s it! The opening date for the Dreamworld LEGO Certified Store has all but been locked in!

If you’re lucky enough to live on the Gold Coast or are in Brisbane, will you be visiting any time soon? Also, do you think that this will be a big draw to visit the Gold Coast or Dreamworld?

Stay tuned for more details!