Pokémon Center London Survival Guide

Where and When?

Pokémon Center London is situated on the first floor of Westfield in Shepards Bush, London. The entrance is near Debenhams and opposite UNIQLO. It isn’t too far of a walk from the Shepards Bush Underground Station (not to be confused with Shepards Bush Market).

Opening hours are between 10am and 6pm Monday to Saturday (12pm to 6pm on Sundays), though the store may close earlier if they run out of stock for that day. Also bear in mind that last entry to the store will be 30 minutes before close.

The store officially closes for the last time at 10pm on 15th November 2019.

Prepare for long queues

During its first few weeks, it is almost guaranteed to witness a long wait to enter the store, there are reports that today (launch day) there was an estimated wait time of nine hours to enter the store.

If you want to brave the long wait we’d recommend to come prepared with plenty of water, a good snack or two, and a fully charged Switch/3DS/phone. It may also be a good idea to bring a snack or two.

If you are with a friend, it SHOULD be safe to go to the nearest loo when nature calls. I’d recommend either the loos opposite by UNIQLO, or the ones right round the corner by Itsu.

Bear in mind that it will be October half term between 19th and 27th October 2019, so that period may be busier.

Charge your devices

If you’re a big Pokémon GO player, you’ll want to make sure your phone is fully charged (we’d recommend bringing a power bank) as there will be an increased spawn rate of different Pokémon.

Purchasing Limits

It is expected that purchasing limits will be put in place for the first couple weeks to ensure that everyone has an equal chance of getting what they want, so be sure to plan accordingly what you really want to buy.

While I was at Pokémon Center London, we were limited to purchasing only one of each item, some items had a less strict limit however.

Don’t worry about missing out on stock, the store will get restocked every day.

Check out some demos upstairs

If you go upstairs, you’ll be treated to try out a cool demo of Pokémon Sword and Shield. This demo takes place inside the Water gym where you have to solve a cool puzzle and then take on the gym leader, Nessa.

As far as I am aware, this demo is similar to the one shown at E3 2019. A wristband system may also be put into use if there is a high demand.

You’ll then get a chance to preorder the game at the kiosks by the demo booths, doing so will net you an exclusive pin set.

Be sure to grab a catalogue, there’s a cool offer to get a discount on the Nintendo UK store!

It gets pretty hot upstairs…

…so be sure to drink plenty of water. While you wait, why not take a photo with some Pokémon cutouts in front the the Galar region’s map?

Take your time

The Pokémon Center London is an exclusive experience that is only open for a month, so be sure to take your time once you’re in store to truly appreciate your experience.

Take some photos, browse their exclusive swag and… ultimately, have fun!