ENFIELD, Conn. — LEGO is laying down the bricks to move out of its American head office in Enfield by the end of 2026. The new location will be in Boston.
Starting in 2025, the move to Boston will start. In the meantime, its employees will continue work at the Enfield office and at the LEGO Education office in Back Bay, Boston. New roles will be located in Boston as well.
“I am disappointed to hear today’s news, but I am confident in Connecticut’s ability to attract and retain companies that value our competitive advantages in education, workforce, and quality of life," Gov. Ned Lamont said in a statement. "We are seeing these advantages resonate more and more in industries such as advanced manufacturing, life sciences, and fintech."
"All colleagues based in Enfield will have a position in the new location and will receive relocation assistance if they wish to make the move," a LEGO spokesperson said in the announcement.
LEGO has been headquartered in Enfield since 1975 when the location originally operated as a factory and warehouse.
"A touch of it knowing it won’t be in Enfield anymore is going to be a sad day," said Enfield Mayor Bob Cressotti.
Cressotti said he has been around long enough to watch LEGO help his town by having partnerships with public schools and local businesses. Moving forward, he hoped that will continue even when the company does relocate to Boston.
Currently, there are around 740 people working full-time at the Enfield office on Print Shop Road, LEGO said. Lamont said the state's labor departments will work with LEGO to help affected workers who choose to leave the company and stay in Connecticut.
"It will have an impact on us in terms of the people that go to work at LEGO everyday, them using dining out, using the businesses here in town," added Mayor Cressotti.
“Based on my conversations this morning with LEGO’s leadership, their move is motivated not by any Connecticut policy but rather LEGO’s desire to consolidate their business operations near the company’s Education Office and to enhance their partnership with MIT," Lamont added.
LEGO cited Boston as the best city to attract and retain talent. Quinnipiac University Business Professor David Cadden agreed.
"We have plenty of excellent institutes of higher education here in Connecticut but they’re not clustered together as you would find in Boston," said Cadden.
U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said in a statement, “I am deeply disappointed about LEGO’s announced move from Enfield to Boston, but I remain confident in Connecticut’s continuing economic strength and its status as a great place to do business.' Blumenthal said he will be monitoring the transition closely with state and local officials to make sure Connecticut workers are treated fairly.
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) said, “LEGO’s decision to move their North American headquarters out of Enfield comes at a moment when many other companies are relocating to our state." Murphy said while the news was disappointing, Connecticut's economy is doing well, and more and more workers and companies are coming back to the state because of our great quality of life, highly trained workforce, and good business climate.
Representative Joe Courtney said in a statement regarding the move:
My office has a great working relationship with LEGO and its workforce in Enfield, so I’m very disappointed by today’s news.
This announcement reflects a broader shift by LEGO around the globe to focus more on e-commerce and digital marketing, and to move themselves into denser urban areas such as Boston, London, and Singapore.
This change will be a four-year process, and my office has been assured that over that time, employees will be given a chance to retain their positions in Boston if they choose. In the meantime, it is important that the State of Connecticut—whose labor market has tens of thousands of job openings—connect this highly talented workforce to great career opportunities that exist in our region, from clean energy production, to all sorts of advanced manufacturing and engineering, and more.
My office will be monitoring this process closely with state and local officials to make sure LEGO employees in north central Connecticut are treated properly, and that they’ve got access to every opportunity for skills training and other forms of transitional support.
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement that she was thrilled to welcome the Lego Group to Boston and looks forward to supporting the company as it transitions its headquarters and joins “our mission to become the most family-friendly city in the country.”
There are also plans underway to build a LEGO factory in Virginia. That June 2022 announcement sparked industry watchers to keep a close eye on the future of LEGO's Enfield office.
Enfield Mayor Cressotti said he has been in communication with the Enfield building's owners to talk about who the new partner should be.
Carmen Chau is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. She can be reached at cchau@fox61.com. Follow her on Facebook and Twitter.
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