LEGO is at the forefront of Britain’s ‘nostalgia spend’
<img src="https://comicvibe.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/53cfda5ceb308dc2d0ffdcabfb7b62bd6eb3b25ef9420b272af824acebd689d7.jpg” alt=”Adult spending on collectibles including LEGO now worth £8.9bn per year”>
LEGO is at the forefront of a ‘nostalgia spend’ in Britain that’s now worth as much as £8.9bn per year, according to a new study.
More than half of UK adults spend an average of £290 per year on collectibles including LEGO, retro gaming and Pokémon, while young adults lead the charge for plastic bricks: buyers aged 18 to 24 outspend other age groups on LEGO by as much as £100 a year on average.
That’s according to new research by Novuna Personal Finance, which surveyed 2,000 UK adults in October 2026. Half of those who responded (and celebrate Christmas) said they’re planning to treat themselves to ‘childhood favourites’ across the holiday season, with 19% hoping to find LEGO sets under the tree.
While younger adults are spending more on average, adults in the 25 to 34 age group are able to drop bigger chunks of change in one go. The average maximum spend on a single hobby-related purchase among 18- to 24-year-olds is £601, jumping to £864 among 25- to 34-year-olds.
That’s not only on LEGO – it also includes things like games consoles – but it’s easy to see how LEGO sets may have contributed to those figures, given you can now spend £899.99 on just one model (75419 Death Star). Some of those who responded to the survey claim to have dropped as much as £5,000 in a single purchase.
The LEGO Group is famously reticent to reveal just how much of its audience is adults buying sets for themselves, although LEGO Brand Director for France and Iberia Camille Thorneycroft said that adults accounted for 25% of its sales (but 40% of its turnover) as of September 2025. That may have been only for that specific region rather than worldwide, however.
Almost a third of 18- to 24-year-olds who responded to Novuna’s survey said they were ‘making up for years of limited pocket money’, explaining some of the gap between their average spend and other age groups. Meanwhile, 15% of all those surveyed were apparently buying with investment potential in mind, believing their acquisitions – LEGO or otherwise – would rise in value over time.
“From the return of ‘90s fashion and music to LEGO, Pokémon and retro gaming, nostalgia seems to be everywhere right now,” said Theresa Lindsay, Chief Marketing Officer at Novuna Finance. “And perhaps that’s no surprise. With so much uncertainty around there’s something comforting about returning to the things that have always made us happy.
“We might be older, but we haven’t lost our love for the things we grew up with. And with Christmas approaching, it seems plenty of us are hoping to find a little piece of our childhood under the tree.”
Thank you for supporting the work that Brick Fanatics does by contributing to the nostalgia economy using our affiliate links. You’ll help to keep the lights on here and perhaps fuel one or two of our own nostalgia purchases…
