• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

Richard Branson double-booked his own job interview. The candidate stuck in traffic with him for 2.5 hours is now Virgin's CEO

2

IBM’s CEO disagrees with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s disdain for texting in meetings: ‘Telling people they can't use their technology would be weird’

3

Tech billionaires and executives like Evan Spiegel and Peter Thiel are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich

1

Richard Branson double-booked his own job interview. The candidate stuck in traffic with him for 2.5 hours is now Virgin's CEO

2

IBM’s CEO disagrees with JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon’s disdain for texting in meetings: ‘Telling people they can't use their technology would be weird’

3

Tech billionaires and executives like Evan Spiegel and Peter Thiel are publicly shielding their children from the products that made them rich
RetailLego

Why Lego Is Doubling Production in Hungary

By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Reuters
Reuters
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 15, 2016, 9:17 AM ET
HUNGARY-GUINNESS-TOWER-LEGO
A part of the about 36 meter high tower, which is to be built with Lego building blocks by local school children, volunteers and visitors is seen in front of the St Stephen's Basilica of Budapest downtown on May 21, 2014 as a 5-day Guinness world record attempt. The event finishes on May 25, the Childrens Day in Hungary. AFP PHOTO / ATTILA KISBENEDEK (Photo credit should read ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP/Getty Images)Photograph by Attila Kisbenedek — AFP/Getty Images
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Danish toymaker Lego said on Friday it would invest more than a hundred million euros in its factory in Hungary to double the size of its facilities there and avoid shortages that have plagued the Christmas period in recent years.

Lego has become the world’s largest toymaker by sales, overtaking U.S. Barbie-maker Mattel, thanks partly to toys linked to movies. But Lego ran short of bricks before Christmas last year.

“As we continue to grow our business, we need to ensure that we are able to deliver the Lego sets demanded by consumers all over the world,” the family-owned company wrote in a statement.

Lego said as many as 1,600 new jobs could be created in the city of Nyíregyháza in Hungary towards 2020, bringing the number of employees up to approximately 4,000.

Lego said the investment amounted to more than one hundred million euros, while the state-owned Hungarian news agency said it would be 30 billion forints ($104 million), with the government also investing.

The toymaker was not able to fill all its orders ahead of the Christmas sales last year despite running its factories in Denmark, Czech Republic, Mexico and Hungary at full speed.

The company is also building a factory in Jiaxing in China, 100 kilometres from Shanghai, which is expected to be up and running in 2017 and should produce most of Lego toys for Asia in the future.

The construction of the new expansion in Hungary is expected to begin within the coming months, with the new facilities being ready for production by 2018.

Lego faced controversy last year when dissident Chinese artist Ai Weiwei accused it of censorship because the toymaker would not supply him with a bulk order of the bricks, saying it had a long-running policy of not donating bricks if they knew they would be used as part of a “political agenda”.

Earlier this week Lego said it had dropped restrictions on large orders and it would stop asking people why they wanted its product.

About the Author
By Reuters
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Retail


Most Popular

Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

    Latest in Retail


    Most Popular

    © 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
    FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.