Pokemon -London

 

Today at 10am, Pokémon opened the doors to the UK’s first-ever Pokémon Center pop-up shop in London’s Westfield, Shepherd’s Bush.

We were lucky enough to get a sneak peak a day ahead of the official opening, and let me tell you, I have never been so excited to visit a store since I was a young child visiting Toys R Us!

If like me you have not yet been lucky enough to visit them over in Japan, now is your chance with this exclusive pop-up shop for a limited time only. Here are some handy details below:

Where: Westfield London (Ariel Way, Shepherd’s Bush W12 7GF) Located on the 1st floor (level 1)
When: Friday 18th October – Friday 15th November 2019
Opening Times: Monday – Saturday: 10 a.m. – 10 p.m. Sunday: 12 p.m – 6 p.m.

So, whats in store for me I hear you ask. Well, as expected there is plenty of official Pokémon merchandise up for grabs, including exclusive Pokémon Centre London goods that can only be found here for this special time. These exclusive goods include the adorable and perfect gentleman Pikachu plushie dressed up in his City London outfit, a metallic London City Pikachu pin badge, Pokémon Trading Card Game London City Sleeves, a London City Playmat, tote bag, t-shirts and even a Chilly’s Bottle sporting a gorgeous yellow textured design featuring the Pikachu logo to name but a few. Of course all of your favourite Pokémon also make an appearance, from adorable plushies, mugs and official Pokémon Trading Card Game sets.

You may be wondering how much this store is going to hurt your pocket. The pricing of the merchandise was an extremely pleasant surprise and quite reasonable, with the exclusive London City Pikachu plushie costing only £20. Of course this all still adds up if like me you go Pokémon mad and almost purchase the entire store! As for purchase limits, the London exclusive items will be restricted to one per person so that all have a fair chance during the month of the stores opening. Other items may also be restricted as deemed necessary.

Buying merchandise is not all that’s on offer here. With the release of Pokémon Sword and Pokémon Shield fast approaching there is a demo station upstairs where you can get your hands on the game and try out a 10 minute demo featuring a water Pokémon Gym. The friendliest staff are on hand to guide you through the challenge and if you have yet to pre-order your copy, you can do so in store where you will also receive exclusive pin badges of Pikachu, Sobble, Scorbunny, and Grookey that will be delivered along with your game and the steelbook and figure set if selected.

The Pokémon Centre London is a must visit for any Pokémon fan! As thousands queued for entry on day one, numbers will be high, particularly on weekends so it is advised to plan your journey in advance and check social sites for regular updates. The Pokémon experience also continues outside of the pop-up store, where you can catch more Pokémon in Pokémon GO thanks to increased appearances around Westfield London of Psyduck, Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Combee, and several other Pokémon.

Check out the gallery below for a glimpse of whats on offer!