Australian and New Zealander trainers are rejoicing after The Pokémon Company announced, out of the blue, a brand new Pokémon Center Online store that will be soft launching sometime soon.
Not much is known other than the announcement that it exists, but it is still something to be excited about. Up until now, only three countries outside of Japan have access to these online stores that stock exclusive Pokémon merch for anyone lucky enough to get their hands on them before they sell out.
This will be the first time a new Pokémon Center Online store has opened since 2021, with the UK being the last flagship online store to open outside of the US and Canada. It marks an exhilarating time and, hopefully, a stepping stone to other regions getting these merch goldmines.
The stores are incredibly valuable to any avid Pokémon merch collector. Collections such as the Van Gogh limited sale and other merchandise collaborations are only available in these stores. However, because the stores only sell to people locally, this creates a massive headache for collectors who have to buy these items through second-hand websites like eBay to pick them up.
With the Australian and New Zealand stores on the horizon, other territories like Europe are likely to cry out for them to be the next region to be selected. If the difference between the UK and the Australian announcement is anything to go by, though, fans might be waiting until 2027 to know if they are getting their own online marketplace or not.
