Bad news, LEGO prices are going up and people are blaming Brexit
Prices of LEGO will go up by an average of 5% in Britain next year because of the continuing devaluation of the pound in the aftermath of the Brexit vote.
A LEGO spokesman told Mashable that the measure will be effective from January 2017. "This is purely because of the currency," he said in reference to the fall in sterling's value after the EU referendum in June.
LEGO doesn't set prices in individual shops but the increase will affect LEGO Stores across the UK, the spokesman said.
In November, LEGO's largest Store was opened in London's Leicester Square.
A letter signed by vice-president Fiona Wright and posted on Twitter by user Robb Lewis said the LEGO Group had been monitoring the exchange rate in the hope that the pound would recover but “the complete opposite has occurred with the pound devalued by approximately 20%, therefore holding prices are no longer sustainable for Lego Company Ltd.”
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Let's put the price change in context: A Star Wars Death Star set, currently sold in a LEGO store for £399.99, will go up by around £20 in 2017.
Sterling has been among the worst-performing major currencies against the dollar. In October, it fell to a 31-year low against the dollar.
Naturally, people didn't take the news very well:
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