London Pokemon Center is so popular fans have started a petition to make it permanent

(Image credit: Pokemon UK)

The London Pokemon Center pop up shop in Shepherd's Bush, Westfield is so popular, a Pokemon fan petition to make it a permanent fixture or open an online UK store has surfaced on Change.org

Since the petition was started a week ago, it already has over 2,500 signatures. The store has already had to limit the number of purchases per customer due to high demand and the sheer number of customers visiting the Center since it opened earlier this month. 

The shop, which is only set to remain open until November 15, 2019, has seen an impressive number of visitors since its rather crowded opening, with tweets still coming from customers stating that they've been waiting in four hour long queues for their chance to get all that exclusive London Pokemon Center merch. 

The official Pokemon UK Twitter account posted an FAQ detailing how the shop has been experiencing "unprecedented demand and queues should be expected." The store stated that due to the high demand, some products may sell out before the end of the day. "We receive daily deliveries and endeavour to replenish stock as quickly as possible," the FAQ says, "However, due to unprecedented demand, some products may sell out before the end of the day." 

Shortly after it opened, customers were limited to just six purchases to ensure everyone could have the chance to grab some merch. A lot of the excitement surrounding the store is also down to the Pokemon Sword and Shield demo that fans are able to try out. The Center is reportedly giving customers wristbands with time slots to try out the demo during their visit. 

UK Pokefans have been hoping for some Pokemon goodness this side of the pond for a long time. While the pop-up shop is still set to run until November, I would love to see an online store open sometime in future. Given the success of the shop, an online store is sure to do just as well. For now, though, we'll just have to keep on hoping. 

Be sure to check out our latest Pokemon Sword and Shield preview or you can watch the video below: 

Heather Wald
Senior staff writer

I started out writing for the games section of a student-run website as an undergrad, and continued to write about games in my free time during retail and temp jobs for a number of years. Eventually, I earned an MA in magazine journalism at Cardiff University, and soon after got my first official role in the industry as a content editor for Stuff magazine. After writing about all things tech and games-related, I then did a brief stint as a freelancer before I landed my role as a staff writer here at 12DOVE. Now I get to write features, previews, and reviews, and when I'm not doing that, you can usually find me lost in any one of the Dragon Age or Mass Effect games, tucking into another delightful indie, or drinking far too much tea for my own good. 

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