Nintendo Company Limited has announced that it plans to establish exclusive Pokemon retail outlets overseas, following on the success of similar stores in Tokyo and Osaka, Japan. The stores, to debut next year in London and New York, will sell both Pokemon-licensed products and related software for Nintendo's gaming platforms. According to Nintendo's president, Hiroshi Yamauchi, this latest venture is aimed at securing the long-term financial stability of the company. Naturally, the success of these retail stores outside of Japan will depend entirely on the continued popularity of the Pokemon franchise in the ever-evolving Western market.
Nintendo expects to open more than ten new Pokemon retail stores by the end of 2001.