Lego hit by first sales dip in 13 years

SALES of Lego have fallen in Britain for the first time in 13 years amid fears children are losing interest in the toys.

Sales were £269.6million in 2017 – down 6 per cent on a year earlier – while profits dropped from £11.4million to £10.8million.

It came as Lego hired 88 extra staff to give it a UK workforce of 687 people.

The Danish firm has enjoyed years of success after it gained a fresh lease of life through tie-ups with brands including Star Wars and Harry Potter.

But it is feared that the rise of smartphones and video games such as Fortnite are denting the appeal of its models.

Earlier this year, the company revealed that worldwide sales dropped 8 per cent to £4.2billion in 2017, while overall profits fell for the first time since 2003.

Announcing the global results in March, chief executive Niels Christiansen said: ‘There is no quick fix and it will take some time to achieve longer-term growth.’