Lego Outlet - Matching products for DISCOVER15

LEGO History

The LEGO Group was founded on 10 August 1932 by Ole Kirk Christiansen, a carpenter and woodworker based in Billund, a small town in Jutland, Denmark. Ole had run a workshop producing household goods - stepladders, ironing boards and furniture - but the onset of the Great Depression meant his traditional customers, the local farming community, could no longer afford his products. Forced to adapt, he began producing small, affordable wooden toys, finding that these sold above almost everything else. Despite extreme financial difficulty - at times accepting food as payment - he refused to abandon toy production and in 1932 formally founded what would become the LEGO Group.

In 1934, Ole held a competition among his employees to name the company, offering a bottle of homemade wine as the prize. The winner was "LEGO", a contraction of the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning "play well". Ole later discovered by coincidence that "lego" also means "I put together" or "I assemble" in Latin. The company motto, inscribed on a sign in the factory and still used today, was det bedste er ikke for godt - "only the best is good enough". Ole's son Godtfred Kirk Christiansen joined the business in 1942 and was named Junior Managing Director in 1950. Together, father and son conceived of the "system of play" idea - a range of interlocking bricks that could be combined in endless configurations.

In 1947 LEGO became the first toy manufacturer in Denmark to purchase a plastic injection moulding machine, a transformative investment that cost more than twice the previous year's profits. By 1949 they were producing a plastic product called the Automatic Binding Brick. The iconic stud-and-tube interlocking brick design - still used in every LEGO set today - was patented on 28 January 1958. Ole Kirk Christiansen died the same year, and Godtfred assumed full control. The first LEGOLAND theme park opened in Billund in 1968, and DUPLO (larger bricks for younger children) launched in 1969. The Minifigure - the ubiquitous yellow humanoid - was introduced in 1978. LEGO was named Toy of the Century by several organisations in 2000, and in the first half of 2015 became the world's largest toy manufacturer by revenue. The company remains privately owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family via the Kirkbi investment firm and is headquartered in Billund to this day. In 2025, LEGO opened a $1 billion factory in Vietnam designed to run entirely on clean energy.

What does the LEGO Outlet sell?

Discounted and Retiring Sets

The LEGO outlet section offers discounted sets including end-of-line, retiring and clearance products from across the full LEGO range. This is one of the best places to find sets that are being discontinued at reduced prices before they disappear from sale entirely. Once a set retires, secondary market prices typically rise significantly, making outlet pricing particularly attractive to collectors.

Themes Available

LEGO produce sets across a wide range of themes, and the outlet and sale sections draw from the full catalogue. Popular ranges include LEGO City, Technic, Creator, Architecture, Icons, Star Wars, Harry Potter, Marvel, DC, Minecraft, Ninjago, Friends, Disney and LEGO Ideas. The Ideas range is submitted and voted on by fans of the brand before being approved for production.

LEGO Education and DUPLO

DUPLO sets for younger builders (ages 1.5 and up), LEGO Education sets for schools and coding-focused products such as LEGO Spike are also available. Discounted LEGO education and DUPLO sets occasionally appear in outlet and clearance promotions.

Common LEGO Questions

Are old LEGO bricks compatible with new ones?

Yes - the fundamental LEGO stud-and-tube brick design has remained unchanged since it was patented in 1958. Modern LEGO bricks are compatible with bricks produced decades ago, which is a central part of the brand's enduring appeal and why older sets retain collector value. Specialised elements such as Technic pins and DUPLO bricks are not cross-compatible with the standard brick system.

What does LEGO stand for?

LEGO is derived from the Danish phrase leg godt, meaning "play well". The name was chosen by founder Ole Kirk Christiansen in 1934 after a naming competition among his employees. It was later discovered that "lego" also means "I put together" or "I assemble" in Latin, a happy coincidence that aligns neatly with the product.

Are LEGO sets worth buying as investments?

Retired LEGO sets - particularly from popular themes such as Star Wars, Icons, Creator Expert and LEGO Ideas - have historically appreciated significantly in value on the secondary market once they are discontinued. Buying sets from the outlet at below-RRP pricing before they retire is a strategy used by many collectors. However, as with any collectible, past performance does not guarantee future returns.

Does LEGO offer NHS or student discounts?

LEGO do not currently advertise a dedicated NHS or student discount programme in the UK. Their outlet and sale sections offer the best savings, particularly during Black Friday in November when discounts across retiring and popular sets can be significant.

When is the LEGO Black Friday sale?

LEGO run Black Friday promotions each November with discounts across their full range, including retiring sets and popular themes. Their VIP loyalty programme members typically receive early access to sale pricing and exclusive offers. The LEGO outlet section carries discounted and clearance sets year-round as sets retire from the main catalogue.

Who owns LEGO?

LEGO is privately owned by the Kirk Kristiansen family, the descendants of founder Ole Kirk Christiansen, via their family investment firm Kirkbi A/S. The company has remained family-owned throughout its entire history and is headquartered in Billund, Denmark, where it was founded in 1932. It is the world's largest toy manufacturer by revenue.

Where are LEGO bricks made?

LEGO operate factories in Billund (Denmark), Kladno (Czech Republic), Monterrey (Mexico), Nyíregyháza (Hungary), and a new $1 billion factory opened in Vietnam in 2025, designed to run entirely on clean energy. The ABS plastic bricks are manufactured to extremely precise tolerances - LEGO quote a permitted variance of just two micrometres per brick to ensure consistent clutch power and compatibility across all sets.