The Pokémon Centre returns to London in August

After three years, the Pokémon Centre pop-up store will be returning to London in August.

The last time a pop-up was held in the UK was from 19th October to 15th November back in 2019 at Westfield Shepherd's Bush location.

This year, the pop-up will be held alongside the Pokémon World Championships at ExCeL London from 17th to 21st August. The Pokémon World Championships is an invite-only esports event run by The Pokémon Company, but the store will be open for anyone to attend.

The previous pop-up at Shepherd's Bush proved hugely popular, with some visitors reporting a six-hour wait to get into the shop. Purchase limits and reduced opening hours were introduced one week after the pop-up opened its doors in an attempt to combat "unprecedented demand", but stock of the exclusive bowler hat Pikachu plush toys still sold out before the store's final week at Westfield.

This time, the store will only be open for four days and promises "exclusive merch, photo opportunities, themed areas, advance timeslot reservations and a virtual queuing system for walk-ups". Many are already anticipating the queue times will be just as long, or even longer, than they were for the Shepherd's Bush pop-up. Information on how to make advance reservations will be announced soon.

If you don't fancy making the trip to London and a potential lengthy wait, the Pokémon Centre opened a UK website in December, meaning you can browse the store's core ranges in the comfort of your own home online. You'll miss out on the teased exclusive merch however, meaning you won't be able to catch them all...