A permanent Pokémon store will open in London, with more locations outside Asia to follow

As it stands, Pokémon fans outside of Asia either have to travel to the continent or hope for a pop-up closer to home if they want to spend (probably lots of) money at one of the brand's physical retail locations. That's changing, though, as The Pokémon Company says it's opening several permanent stores outside of Asia. The first of those will be in London and it's slated to open by 2029.

Pop-up Pokémon shops have appeared in London in the past, including one at the Natural History Museum earlier this year and others during various editions of the Pokémon European International Championships. As with the pop-ups, the permanent location will have exclusive merch.

"We are always exploring new opportunities that help us create unique and memorable experiences for our fans," Gaku Susai, The Pokémon Company International's chief product and experience officer said. "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."

The Pokémon Company said it will reveal details about other physical locations in the future. If it ends up bringing a store to New York, that wouldn't be its first one in the city. Pokémon Center New York opened in 2001. Four years later, that location was turned into Nintendo's flagship physical store.