Well, this news has made me a very happy chappy! Today, Pokémon announced that a permanent, physical Pokémon store is coming to London, United Kingdom, the first physical retail space for the Pokémon brand outside of Asia, with a goal of getting the doors open sometime in 2029.
Chief Product and Experience Officer at The Pokémon Company International, Gaku Susai, commented, “We are always exploring new opportunities that help us create unique and memorable experiences for our fans. This new London store will give visitors the chance to step into the world of Pokémon, whether they’re discovering the brand for the first time or have been Trainers for years. We hope it becomes a place where everyone can come together, feel like part of a community and enjoy the magic of Pokémon in a whole new way.”
London feels like a great fit for the brand; Pokémon has continuously opened pop-up stores in London, they even took over the Natural History Museum this year and even hosted the Pokémon Europe International Championships too, so it's clear that they have the data to back up this investment. And as someone who lives in the UK and frequently visits London, it adds to the never-ending cool things to do as a gamer in the city.
It's unclear at this moment in time how big this Pokémon Store is going to be. I have visited many of their stores in Japan, some big, some small, but the only thing they have stated is that "this new store will be the ultimate destination for Pokémon fans and include a variety of exclusive merchandise and one-of-a-kind experiences for Trainers of all ages", making me believe it's likely going to be on the larger side, not only selling products, but experiences too, perhaps showcasing their vision of what their future stores want to focus on.
Because there's more coming, Pokémon states that the London store will "be the first of several permanent Pokémon stores that are planned to launch outside of Asia", indicating that they're investing some serious profits into creating physical stores across the West. It's likely they'll announce more information throughout the coming years, and who knows, maybe the Retro Dodo team will visit when it opens in 2029, but all in all, this is great news not only for UK Pokémon fans, but those around the world wanting a store closer to home.
