The Pokémon Company plans to open its first permanent store outside of Asia in London, UK, by 2029 at the latest, marking the expansion of its international physical retail business beyond Asia.
In addition to selling related merchandise, the store will feature community spaces and offer special experiences for fans of different ages and varying lengths of engagement with Pokémon. The Pokémon Company hopes this location will become a place where new players and long-time enthusiasts can interact and connect.
London has recently hosted the Pokémon European International Championships at ExCeL London, where temporary Pokémon Center stores opened during the event were popular among participants. With the establishment of a permanent store, fans will no longer have to wait until tournament weekends to visit a temporary shop.
The Pokémon Company has not yet disclosed the store's specific address, exact opening date, or official name, nor confirmed whether it will retain the "Pokémon Center" brand commonly used for its Asian specialty stores. The company stated that London is just the first step in a broader international retail expansion, but no list of subsequent cities or countries has been announced.
The United States previously welcomed the New York Pokémon Center in 2001, which later became Nintendo World in 2005 and eventually evolved into Nintendo New York. There is currently no information indicating whether this expansion plan includes the United States.