A new era for Scandinavia’s largest toy chain.

Market leader, but not comfortable

Lekia is Scandinavia’s largest toy retail chain, with more than 170 stores and a strong brand behind it. But nobody in retail can relax, least of all when e-commerce erases geographic borders. Historically the online business had lived slightly to the side, kept running by a few dedicated people, while the small central organization focused on the stores and a trend-sensitive assortment. Alongside consumer sales, Lekia also runs a B2B operation toward its stores from the warehouse in Malmö.

A new era

In spring 2025 it was time for the next step. The existing store had just survived one Christmas season, but hardly another. It was clear that a platform change was due, and Lekia needed help with both selection and contract negotiation. It had to be fast and it had to be right, but the resources to run a procurement in-house were not there. That is where Commerce Mind came in, with Pernilla Sandström, commercial director, driving it from Lekia’s side.

A record-fast procurement

With time short, we cut the list of options early, otherwise no room would be left for the implementation. Based on a few decisive requirements, among them strong standard components, support for the B2B business, links between store and e-commerce, an integrated PIM and simple administration, we produced a shortlist and a decision basis. For a small organization the choice of partner mattered at least as much as the platform. The choice landed on Litium, with Rove as implementation partner.

Control over the data with Nexus

Documentation of the existing solution was limited, which made the integrations risky. Lekia needed more technical support internally, so Commerce Mind contributed a solution architect who mapped how everything fit together. To move forward we proposed a sync layer built on Nexus, our framework for orchestrating, monitoring and safeguarding the flows between systems. It gave Lekia control over all their data and a clear layer where everything passes, is visible and can be steered. Anton Lickiewicz, IT manager, has had a central role as technical lead and sees real value in that added control.

Structure, and a launch on time

Lekia also recognized the importance of internal project management, so we supported them with a project manager who set the scope, mapped the activities and secured the decision process with the steering group. Most of the work had to happen over the summer, in the middle of the holiday season, to make the launch before peak. With a fast procurement, a long risk list and a tight timeline, we still launched the new store right on time. Since then Lekia has hired a new e-commerce manager, and we continue to strengthen the underlying architecture for the era ahead.