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Lego: The Danish toymaker has revitalized itself in the last 15 years

Lego: The Danish toymaker has revitalized itself in the last 15 years

This week Lego, which was first founded in 1932, reported that its revenues had grown 46% in the first half of this year. That's the kind of growth usually associated with tech companies or early-stage startups — not 91 year-old plastic toy brickmakers.

Brick by brick

For Lego, those remarkable results are partly down to a pandemic bump (nothing quite says "indoor activity" like building Lego), but also 15+ years of a new strategic direction.

For the first 66 years of its life, Lego never posted a loss, but by 2003 the company was in a lot of trouble. Indebted, with sales declining, Lego needed to make some changes. They decided to embrace their fans, young or old, and diversify away from the humble brick.

They gave people the ability to design their own Lego model and then buy the elements required to build it. They made Lego movies. They made Lego video games. Sold Lego city replicas. They started a YouTube channel (which now has 16 billion views). They built new Legoland theme parks (there are now 8 in total) and opened more interactive stores, shaping the entire Lego experience for fans.

But perhaps their biggest stroke of genius was to start engaging more with other brands and IP. Star Wars Lego. Marvel Lego. Harry Potter Lego. Super Mario Lego. Disney Lego. Batman Lego. The list goes on and on of mega franchise IP that Lego has tapped into — routinely charging $100, $200 or even $500, for some of the highest profile sets.

Lego is named after a Danish phrase "leg godt" — meaning "play well" — and play well they have.

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Starbucks issues apology after viral “Bearista” cup meltdown

Holiday cheer turned into chaos this week for Starbucks after the coffee giant’s new “Bearista” holiday cup sent fans into a frenzy. 

Dropped alongside its 2025 holiday menu, the $30 beanie-wearing glass bear tumbler sparked long lines, sellouts, and even in-store scuffles before Starbucks stepped in with an apology.

“The excitement for our merchandise exceeded even our biggest expectations,” the company said in a statement to People. “Despite shipping more Bearista cups to our coffeehouses than almost any other item this holiday season, the Bearista cup and some other items sold out fast.”

Within hours of launch, frustrated fans flooded Starbucks’ social media pages and even store hotlines. Some customers waited in line before dawn and others said their stores received only a handful of cups. In one Houston location, the craze even turned physical, with police reportedly called to break up a brawl. Meanwhile, the cup is already reselling on sites like eBay, with listings topping $600.

“We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused,” Starbucks said. While in-store customers may be upset, investors seem happy about the viral hit, as the stock has risen over 3% on Friday.

If you’re still hoping for a Bearista at market price, that may not be on order: the chain didn’t disclose how many cups were made or whether a restock is planned.

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Target tells workers to smile, wave, and greet shoppers if they come within 10 feet of them

Target just rolled out a new rule for store employees: smile, make eye contact, and greet or wave when a shopper comes within 10 feet — and if they get closer, within four feet, ask whether they need help or how their day is going, according to a new Bloomberg report.

Dubbed the 10-4 program internally, the rule mirrors rival Walmarts own 10-foot policy, formalizing behavior Target had previously only encouraged.

business

Monster surges on energy drink buzz, while Celsius sinks on distribution concerns

Shares of Monster Beverage climbed 5% after the bell on Thursday, and held most of those gains into early trading on Friday, following strong Q3 results.

The energy drink giant topped market expectations, with quarterly sales up 17% year over year to $2.2 billion and adjusted net profits growing 41% to $524.5 million — 11% ahead of Wall Street’s estimates. In the report, Monster highlighted its zero-sugar line and new product launches, with a stack of novel flavors already released this year, as bright spots.

During a call with analysts, Chief Executive Hilton Schlosberg said that the global energy drink category “remains healthy with robust growth,” The Wall Street Journal reported, adding that demand for more affordable caffeinated drinks is rising as coffee has become “really expensive.”

Meanwhile, rival beverage business Celsius saw shares fall as much as 23% on its Q3 results yesterday — despite beating expectations, with revenue jumping 173% — largely due to concerns about a change in the company’s distribution channel, as its newly acquired Alani Nu brand joins the PepsiCo distribution network.

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