Pokémon Opening Official Stores Outside Asia For The First Time Ever

Published Oct 21, 2026, 1:16 PM EDT

Bruno Yonezawa is a Gaming Senior Writer for Screen Rant. He's been practicing professional journalism for over 10 years, and is also a communications specialist. He's played games all his life and turned that passionate hobby into a passionate career, in an industry where he's worked as a writer, editor, analyst, and more.

Official Pokémon stores will be opening outside of Asia for the very first time, according to a new report, and there couldn’t be better news for international fans of Nintendo’s creature-catching franchise. Pokémon Centers are a major thing, especially within Japan, attracting fans from across the world to find exclusive merch. A lot of the merch reaches other global markets, such as the Pokémon Center Halloween 2026 merch, thanks to the online stores that deliver. Nevertheless, the in-person experiences at crowded Pokémon Centers and Pokémon Stores are limited to Asia.

That may be a short-term issue, however, since official Pokémon stores will seemingly be opening in new markets moving forward. According to a new announcement posted on the official Pokémon website, The Pokémon Company will finally open new and permanent Pokémon Center stores around the world. The first of them will be based in London, United Kingdom, and it is expected to open by 2029. This means it could arrive even sooner. The great news here, however, is that Pokémon Center London will be the first in an effort to expand outside of Asia.

According to that very announcement, the London store “will also be the first of several permanent Pokémon stores that are planned to launch outside of Asia.” More information about other physical store locations will be revealed by The Pokémon Company in the future. For reference, while the majority of the official permanent stores are in Japan, both Singapore and Taiwan have flagship stores. The upcoming Pokémon Center Bangkok will open in Thailand in December. As such, only countries in Asia have received such stores.

The expansion of Pokémon Centers to other global markets outside of Asia is a huge thing. Right now, people from around the world have to travel to countries in Asia to pick up store-exclusive merch. There are store-specific pins and Pikachu plushes, which are often highly sought-after in Japan, for example. You can buy a ton of merch via the online Pokémon Center storefronts, such as the new Pokémon Squishmallows for Raichu and Oshawott, but there are other goodies that we miss out on.

According to Chief Product and Experience Officer at The Pokémon Company International, Gaku Susai, the company is “always exploring new opportunities that help us create unique and memorable experiences for our fans.” That statement, especially pertaining to the opening of new Pokémon Center stores across the globe, is accurate. Pokémon Centers aren’t only a location you visit when you want to buy merch. These stores have tons of different attractions, including high-quality statues that fans travel miles to photograph, and much more.

Apart from the London store, no other opening has been formally announced just yet. It’s unknown when Pokémon Centers – or, at least, official stores – will open in the United States, but considering how popular the series is, it’s only a matter of time. It’s likely that the first new Pokémon stores in the US will open in areas like Los Angeles or New York, but it seems we’ll have to wait a while longer before we know for sure.

Pokémon is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Satoshi Tajiri and Ken Sugimori, launched by Nintendo, Game Freak, and Creatures in 1996. Centered on fictional creatures called Pokémon, the series spans video games, trading cards, animation, films, merchandise, and competitive events. Players assume the role of Trainers who capture, battle, and trade Pokémon. It is one of the highest-grossing entertainment franchises in history.