Lego to double Chesterfield workforce to 900 by end of year

The Lego Group has already hired more than 500 workers in the Richmond region as it builds its $1 billion Chesterfield County factory, and expects that workforce to grow to about 900 by the end of the year, the company announced Thursday.

The roughly 500 employees are working across the company’s factory site, which remains under construction in Chesterfield County’s Meadowville Technology Park, and a temporary packing facility, according to Lego. The Danish toymaker said the hiring increase is intended to prepare for operations of highly automated molding and packing machinery ahead of the project’s planned 2027 opening.

Billund, Denmark-based Lego first announced the project in July 2022 and held a ceremonial groundbreaking in April 2023. The factory is expected to create about 1,760 jobs over 10 years. The company initially planned to begin production in the second half of 2025, but said in February 2024 that the timeline had shifted to 2027. A topping-out ceremony at the site was held in October 2025, and construction has since been progressing “on schedule.”

Lego reported that the site’s office, constructed from mass timber, is on track to be topped out later this spring.

The plans to nearly double its workforce by the end of the year wasn’t the only major announcement Thursday. The company also unveiled plans for a solar park at its Chesterfield factory, which will significantly expand the site’s on-site renewable capacity. Lego said the solar project marks a significant milestone towards its ambition to source 100% renewable energy for the facility’s annual needs.

Lego plans to begin construction on the solar park this summer. The project will occupy nearly 80 acres and feature over 30,700 ground-mounted panels with a total capacity of 22 MWp. The company also plans to install 10,080 rooftop solar panels on its buildings, adding 6.11 MWp of capacity.

“We’re proud of the progress we continue to make,” Lego Manufacturing Virginia General Manager Jesus Ibañez said in a statement. “These initiatives are key to increasing our use of renewable energy and support our ongoing commitment towards more sustainable operations.”

Last month, the company announced it would also continue supporting local communities in the greater Richmond area, committing more than $1.3 million in grants to eight nonprofit organizations.

In November 2025, Lego held a ceremonial groundbreaking for its 2 million-square-foot warehouse and distribution center in Prince George County. The $366 million project is slated to open in early 2027.

Founded in 1932 by Danish carpenter Ole Kirk Christiansen, Lego reported 83.5 billion Danish Krone in 2025 revenue, equivalent to about $12.9 billion. It employs roughly 33,800 people worldwide, including more than 3,500 employees in the United States.

Lego has had a presence in the U.S. since the 1960s, when it entered a partnership with Samsonite to manufacture and market its bricks in the country. In 1973, the company established its American subsidiary, Lego Systems, after the license agreement with Samsonite for the U.S. market was cancelled. The toymaker is moving its U.S. headquarters from Enfield, Connecticut, where it has been since 1975, to Boston this year.