Shufersal Challenges LEGO Market With Aggressive Pricing, But Comparison Remains Key

Israel's largest retail chain, Shufersal, has entered the LEGO market with a focus on aggressive pricing and significant discounts, according to Israel's Channel 12. The move challenges established players like KSP, Toys R Us, and the official LEGO online store.

Shufersal now offers a full LEGO catalog on its website and has set up branded displays in approximately 90 of its stores across the country. A market monitoring by Channel 12 found price differences of hundreds of shekels on certain items between Shufersal and its competitors.

Notable savings were observed in popular series such as Botanicals, Creator, and Ideas. For instance, a pink flower set from the Botanicals collection costs 169 shekels at Shufersal, compared to 215 shekels at KSP and 182 shekels in Eilat. The Snoopy house collectible model is priced at 269 shekels at Shufersal, versus 349 shekels at Toys R Us and 440 shekels on the official LEGO site.

However, experts caution against relying solely on Shufersal's promotions. A comprehensive market analysis indicates that in some categories, like the Speed Champions racing cars or certain Ninjago sets, price differences are minimal, and traditional stores can sometimes be cheaper. For example, the Balrog set from "The Lord of the Rings" is on sale at Shufersal for 379 shekels, while KSP sells it for 335 shekels.

Furthermore, Shufersal's current selection is less geared towards experienced collectors. Complex, multi-thousand-piece models and exclusive collector series are still best found at specialized retailers or ordered from Eilat, which offers tax advantages. The article also briefly mentions a previous report about scientists swallowing LEGO figures for an experiment.