LEGO presents the initiative as a merger between the two online services that made it possible to buy bricks at retail directly from the manufacturer: on the one hand the catalog Pick a Brick (Choose a Brick) and on the other the service Bricks & Pieces (Bricks and Pieces) accessible via the section dedicated to customer service.

There will be only one left at the beginning of February 2022 and it is under the name Pick and Build that these two services, about which confusion sometimes reigns, will be brought together. On the other hand, the online service which makes it possible to obtain the replacement of defective or missing bricks will remain accessible.

LEGO's ambition: to simplify and centralize its retail brick sales offer with a single interface and an ordering process which will now be directly integrated into the current online store with, for example, the possibility of taking advantage of promotional offers under the condition of purchase regularly offered.

LEGO also promises an improvement in terms of delivery times with a classification of parts in two distinct categories: the 1600 elements considered as "Bestsellers" which will be indicated by a pictogram and will be deliverable in a few days and the rest of the offer identified as a "Standard" assortment which will require a longer processing and delivery time. For Europe, the Bestsellers will be shipped from Poland, the rest of the catalog will be managed from Billund. Orders will be divided into two separate baskets depending on the type of parts and delivery will not be invoiced if the minimum order amount (€ 12) is reached for the basket concerned. Otherwise, you will have to pay € 3 for a basket with Bestsellers and € 6 for parts from the standard assortment.

The limitations that will be effective: 200 different elements (same part / same color) maximum per order with a maximum quantity of 999 units per element. We do not yet know what real impact this regrouping of the two offers will have on the pricing policy practiced so far for each of these services, some parts being currently more expensive on one side or the other.

A new service will be tested during this reorganization of the retail parts purchase offer: Build a Mini. As the title suggests, it will be a question of composing a minifigure from the available elements. The online configurator will offer parts from the minifig assembly offer offered in LEGO Stores in 2019 and 2020. These items will not be available for purchase separately and will only be used for the custom minifig creation service. .

For those who are wondering, LEGO does not plan to integrate the sticker sheets into the service Pick and Build, at least not immediately.

Launch in France announced for early February 2022, we will then be able to verify whether this reorganization, which aims to simplify the purchase of spare parts online directly from the manufacturer, has not also served to drive up the prices of these elements.

(Screenshots of the test interface provided by LEGO. The final interface can still evolve)

Let's go for a few weeks of sales from today until February 8. As always, don't expect to find knock-down LEGO everywhere, although there are probably some good deals to be had at some vendors.

At LEGO, nothing special, apart from a few products in the usual section which already benefit from a discount on their public price.

Like every year, do not hesitate to share your tips in the comments, even if these are local operations or very limited availability. Fans in your area may be able to take advantage of the discounts offered at the local supermarket or toy store.
Below, direct access to the LEGO offer offered online by the main brands likely to participate in the operation:

The January 2022 issue of the official LEGO Star Wars magazine is available on newsstands and allows us, as expected, to obtain a Snowtrooper armed with his blaster, a minifigure that is also present in the new Battle Pack 75320 Snowtrooper Battle Pack.

The next issue of the magazine is expected on newsstands on February 9, 2022 and it will provide a Millennium Falcon of 41 different pieces from those already delivered with the magazine in 2016 and then in 2019.

For those who are interested, I remind you that the instructions of the different mini-models delivered with this magazine are available in PDF format on the publisher's website. All you have to do is enter the code on the back of the bag to obtain the file.

Finally, be aware that it is currently possible to subscribe for a period of six months or a year to the official LEGO Star Wars magazine via the abo-online.fr platform. The 12-month subscription (13 issues) costs € 65.