The new Nintendo pop-up store in London has already sold out of tickets for the opening weekend, but there are ways you can still get in before Christmas.
Nintendo is, as you’ve probably had cause to discover yourself, a very odd company. We’d be here until tomorrow listing all the different examples but one of the more curious, considering how much they like money, is that until recently they’ve made very little effort to take advantage of fans’ love of merchandise.
For the longest time the only Nintendo Store in the world was in New York City and they only opened one in Tokyo (that isn’t in its own building and looks more like a pop-up store that just never closed down) in 2019. Although more recently they did add one in San Francisco and Kyoto.
There’s nothing at all in Europe but next week there will be a pop-up store in London, that is going to empty fan wallets quicker than even the most desirable DLC.
You can see some examples of what will be sold in these photos, and it’s specifically stated that it will include items currently only available in the Japanese stores. That means franchises such as Super Mario, The Legend Of Zelda, Animal Crossing, Splatoon, Pikmin, and Kirby will be represented.
It’s possible, although Nintendo hasn’t mentioned it, that there may be some London specific items too. The store will be in the Westfield London shopping centre in Shepard’s Bush London and that’s previously been used for a Pokémon pop-up store, where they sold an exclusive cuddly Pikachu with a brolly and a bowler hat.
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The store will be open for four weeks, from October 22 to November 16, and will include things such as keyrings, badges, bags, soft toys, stationery, and ‘exclusive collectibles’.
Nintendo pop-up London tickets – can you get in without one?
As happened with the Pokémon pop-up, you really need to make a reservation before you try to pay a visit, or you might not get in. However, all tickets for the opening week are already sold out.
That means you can’t get in without one until the second week, starting Monday, October 27.
So don’t turn up on October 22 and expect to get in just by queuing, as you almost certainly won’t get in. Technically anyone can get in from the 27th, but be warned that there’s likely to be long queues, of potentially several hours.
The exaction location of the pop-up store is Westfield Shopping Centre, London, Ariel Way, Shepherd’s Bush W12 7GF. It’s easily accessible via public transport, with more details here.
The store will be around from October 22 to November 16, with open times of 10am to 9pm, and 12pm to 6pm on Sunday.
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