Over the past year, retail chains have increasingly moved beyond their traditional role as supermarkets selling food and household essentials. They want to sell us everything - from vacuum cleaners and smartphones to electrical appliances, furniture, cars and even apartments. Now, Shufersal is expanding the shopping cart a little further, entering the toy market with one of the world's strongest brands: LEGO.
Joining Israel's major LEGO retailers
Since last Thursday, Shufersal has been selling LEGO products at approximately 90 branches across the country and through Shufersal Online as part of a new commercial partnership. The products are available at selected Universe, Shufersal Deal, and Shufersal Sheli branches, including branches in Eilat, while a larger selection is offered through the website and app. Customers shopping from home can add a LEGO set to their cart and receive it in the same delivery as their milk, vegetables, and toilet paper.
Shufersal's entry is particularly interesting given the way LEGO is sold in Israel. Officially imported LEGO products reach consumers through three main channels: Official LEGO stores, KSP and now Shufersal. LEGO products are also available at toy stores and other retail chains, some supplied by the official importer and others through parallel imports. Under the new partnership, Shufersal joins the sales channels working directly with the brand.
Price comparison: Shufersal vs. KSP and official stores
A comparison we conducted across the three platforms - Shufersal, KSP and official LEGO stores - found that Shufersal offers the lowest price on three of the four sets tested. There is, however, an important caveat: The products and prices were selected by Shufersal for the comparison, so the results do not mean that the chain will necessarily be the cheapest across its entire LEGO selection.
The largest gap was found in the LEGO LOVE set, model 31214. At the official LEGO store, it sells for NIS 399, compared with NIS 238 at KSP and just NIS 229 at Shufersal. That means a saving of NIS 170, or about 43%, compared with the official price, and NIS 9 compared with KSP.
A significant difference was also found in the LEGO Icons World Cup Ball set, model 43019. Shufersal sells it for NIS 349, compared with NIS 419 at KSP and NIS 499 at the official LEGO store. Customers buying it at Shufersal will save NIS 150 compared with the official store price and NIS 70 compared with KSP.
The pattern is similar for the Ninja Figure Display set, model 71866. Shufersal's price is NIS 149, compared with NIS 169 at KSP and NIS 179 at the official store.
There was one exception. For the LEGO Remix Airplane, Truck, and Hovercraft set, model 60505, KSP offers a price of NIS 239, compared with NIS 249 at Shufersal. At the official LEGO store, the set is significantly more expensive, at NIS 329.
Blurring the lines between supermarket and mega-retailer
The selection Shufersal is bringing to its branches is designed to appeal to a broad range of ages. Alongside LEGO DUPLO for younger children, the chain will offer LEGO City and LEGO Friends for school-age children, as well as LEGO Icons and LEGO Botanicals for adults - a category that has expanded significantly in recent years. According to the chain, new LEGO launches will reach its shelves simultaneously with their release in Israel.
Shufersal's move represents another step in the blurring of the lines between the traditional supermarket and the increasingly broad retail chains seeking to sell customers almost anything that can fit into a physical or virtual shopping cart.
For retailers, the logic is straightforward: The customer is already there, whether visiting a branch or browsing the website, and every additional product added to the basket increases its overall value. In LEGO's case, there is an added advantage: The brand is strong enough to attract customers specifically, particularly when its products are offered at prices lower than those they are accustomed to seeing at specialized stores.
Shufersal stated: "We are delighted with our collaboration with LEGO, which will make one of the world's most trusted and recognized play brands accessible to the Israeli public, offering a wide range of products in branches and on Shufersal Online. We will continue working to bring added value to our customers."