IKEA promises better 'life at home' as it gears up for first store in India

Leading Swedish home furnishings retailer IKEA, which is launching its first store in Hyderabad next month, says it is making a lot of effort to provide good service for India, as it expands its mission to provide a better "life at home" and a healthy lifestyle across the world. It said it will come up with a range of products that can be repaired, restored and recycled. 

"I, with the team, have done many home visits in India as it was utmost important for us to understand how Indians live in their homes and how IKEA can contribute to a better everyday life for the many Indians who love their homes," said Mia Lundstrom, Creative Director at IKEA India, during the brand's annual Democratic Design Days event held here recently. "We have put in a lot of effort into making a very strong and good service package for India.

Denmark's Lego builds foundations in China classrooms as old markets slow

Danish toymaker Lego is hoping to build a following with Chinese parents by promoting its place in the classroom as well as the toy box.
The firm, famous for its brightly coloured building blocks, is working with local education departments, state schools and the private education providers to get kids playing with Lego as a way to boost motor skills, creativity and attention spans.

The educational push in China goes beyond what Lego does in other markets, in part a nod to the country’s disciplined focus on learning but also a reflection of how the market is booming in importance as growth in the United States and Europe slows. It also taps into the desires of Chinese parents to give their children a competitive edge - even at a young age.

Deng Xianyu, 48, has been buying her 8-year-old son Lego blocks since he was 2 and now sends him to Lego classes every weekend. She said she likes that the students learn specific skills such as computing and science as they play.

For Warner Bros, a 'cinematic universe' built of Lego bricks

Lego and Warner Bros. Entertainment seem to be perfect partners: One is a multinational toy company in search of expansion, and the other is a global entertainment giant looking for more content.

But as both ramp up promotion for the September release of their third film together, “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” some are wondering whether the cinematic landscape is cluttered with too many Lego bricks.

“The Lego Movie” was a surprise smash in 2014, costing about $60 million to make and collecting $469.2 million worldwide. A sequel to that film is planned for 2019. But a related follow-up to the original, “The Lego Batman Movie,” released in February, took in only $311 million, in part because girls were not as interested. And now, a short seven months later, comes “Ninjago.”

The stakes are high for Warner Bros. Few films on its schedule are more important than “The Lego Ninjago Movie,” which it sees as part of a continuing “cinematic universe” and a pillar for the studio, with additional original installments and sequels exploring different genres planned for the next decade and beyond.

But Ninjago is more than just a movie for Lego. The brand was introduced in 2011 with a martial-arts themed line of toys and a TV series. Lego anticipated a short life span, but consumer response was stronger than expected, so Lego brought it back in 2014 with new building sets and new seasons of the TV series.

“There is an affinity for the property,” said Michael McNally, the senior director of brand relations for Lego.
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