LEGO Store in Wiesbaden, Germany Closing

Poisso3

I got an email earlier today from LEGO indicating the Wiesbaden location was being closed on December 20th. This sucks as the next near is one to me is Frankfurt so that means my daughter can no longer do the monthly mini-builds. As a consolation they are giving out a limited numbe of free gifts to those of who called the Wiesbaden location "home".

Please move this if I placed it in the wrong place.

Poisso3

Went to the location last night before they closed. No sales or free items unless you bought over 30€. Saw some moved to tears, and others just not sure what to do. There were a few children, mine included, that were crying as the brown paper was placed over the windows.

A friend of mine was the next to last shopper. She had been going there for 5 years and the closing hit her hard. She was personal friends with some of the older employees so seeing her hugging and crying with this that worked there was hard.

After they locked the doors, a few friends of employees were let in a side door for "friends and family shopping". All the pre-built sets and some of the larger sets were quickly removed from the shelves and then the store. Too bad I haven't lived here longer to be able to get in on that.

No one is happy with now having to drive to a smaller Lego location that is not in our city, but there is nothing we can do but make the drive.

alijoezac

Do you know why the store was closed?

Poisso3

Nothing has been said. The Frankfurt location isn't that far away. The rent for the area has been mentioned to be high. Location not the best place. Just some ideas of excuses for closing a great location.

Paperballpark

Hang on, first you state the location isn't in the best place, then you say it's a great location?

I spent 14 years in retail. They won't have closed it for a laugh. High rent and cannibalisation of sales between the two stores are good reasons for only keeping one of those stores. They probably figure that they'll save more in rent and running costs from closing that store than they'll lose in profit on sales that don't go to the Frankfurt store.

Poisso3

Nonono...I was just giving excuses that have been mentioned but nothing has officially been said. It was in a great area that had lots of foot traffic and the store was always busy.

The one thing that was said between us that were standing around after the doors were closed for the last time, that sounded plausible, is that Frankfurt is in a much larger city and located in a busy mall instead of a city center as it was in Wiesbaden. Major retailers don't want their locations in higher-end areas out preformed by the location in smaller areas. I get that. Just not happy to see what many felt as "our location" being taken away from us.