I logged 200+ Pop Mart release that reached the UK between April and September 2026.
Pop Mart never publishes a release plan, but the patterns suggest a very deliberate strategy.
@blindboxreviews why is there an avalanche of stuff from pop mart rn and why is some stuff (like Hirono) suddenly really hard to get hold of? there is definitely a store split and I think the new London pop mart flagship might make this worse #popmartuk ♬ original sound – Claire 🐸🍄
How Does POP MART Decide Which UK Stores Get Each Drop?
It looks like Pop Mart splits its stores into (roughly) three groups:
- Big shops get everything, or close
- Small shops get about 60% of what’s released
- Concessions get a smaller amount, either due to space or licensing
It’s well known that exclusives drop at the big shops, and sometimes only in London.
In this chart, the first group (marked in pink) are stores that get around 90%+. The London Pop Mart flagship, opening on Friday, will definitely tie with Charing Cross, or overtake it.
There’s a second group of UK Pop Mart stores that gets less than 2/3 of what’s released. Manchester Market Street is a bit of an outlier and sits between them.
Pop Mart Flagship Store: Why Now?
Pop Mart is likely opening a new store on Oxford Street so it can offer an experience store rather than a regular retail outlet. And it is by no means the only brand to do this:
| Date | What | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Open now | Chiikawa pop-up | Selfridges, Oxford Street |
| Friday 23 October | POP MART London flagship | 149 to 151 Oxford Street |
| Wednesday 4 November | The UK’s biggest Harry Potter shop | 134 to 140 Oxford Street |
| 6 November to 31 December | Tamagotchi 30th anniversary pop-up | 60 Broadwick Street, just off Oxford Street |
| 2027, date to be confirmed | MINISO Land | 363 Oxford Street, the old HMV |
Oxford Street is being closed to traffic from 26 October under a new Oxford Street Development Corporation. At the same time, rents are increasing; HMV is leaving the Oxford Street building it has occupied for over a century.
That means more shoppers, despite the higher rents and property prices.
And we know hype draws crowds. Social media virality gets people into shops in a way regular stores can’t.
We can’t blame one brand for this either. It’s a pattern:
- MINISO Land takes over the old HMV at 363 Oxford Street: 19,000 sq ft of character zones and blind boxes, opening date to be confirmed. @blindboxjude has a good look at what to expect.
- Chiikawa has a pop-up at Selfridges on Oxford Street (License Global).
- Tamagotchi opens a 30th anniversary pop-up shop at 60 Broadwick Street from 6 November to 31 December, announced on Tamagotchi UK’s Instagram.
- Mirumi chose Harrods for its London pop-up this summer, and its stock there reportedly sold out in five days (DIME).
How Many Products Does Pop Mart Release Each Month?
In the UK, Pop Mart has released 25-30 products each month over the last couple of months. Sometimes it feels like we get an avalanche followed by a few quiet weeks, and that’s not quite what is happening.
Firstly, used AliExpress because it’s more predictable than the shop release calendar:
Apart from the FIFA x The Monsters drop in early April, it’s very steady.
And now UK stores. Since I don’t have reliable data, I’ve just looked at 3 months this time. It’s still reasonably consistent.
When Does Pop Mart Restock?
Pop Mart releases sell out quickly, then restock after 4-7 weeks. We rarely (or never!) see a restock before that.
Why? Pop Mart flies a first batch of a new product into the country for launch date. It can sell out quickly. The rest of the stock follows by ship, which takes a while. That’s why we usually see a restocking 4 to 7 weeks after the initial release date.
Why Does a Series Reach UK Stores in Stages?
It’s hard to say why Pop Mart doesn’t release everything in a series in the same week, but I have a theory: it’s not about the series, it’s about the product type.
In every series, the plush pendant reaches UK stores first and goes to more stores than anything else.
In fact, every week that new stock reached UK stores from July to October, it included a new plush pendant.
It makes sense because plush is what sells. In POP MART’s results for the first half of 2026, plush made up 57% of its sales. Pop Mart is no doubt trying to use other IPs to maintain sales of plush pendants after the Labubu hype of 2025.
IPs also take turns month by month, so different collectors are attracted to the store from one week to the next.
Accessories aren’t high priority, so people won’t rush to get them. That’s why I think the rest of a series arrives more slowly. People will go in for a plush pendant and pick up the accessories while you’re there.
Online there is no reason to space things out like this, and it shows: AliExpress UK often puts the whole series up on the same day.
My Prediction For the Pop Mart Flagship Store
I have a prediction: if the Hirono After Dark lamp drops before Halloween, it will only drop in London, and it will have to drop on October 30th to be out in time. It fits the talk in the collecting community: this is an item that is very hard to get hold of, not just in the UK but globally.
Like the Molly Coca-Cola Rocket, it will be a case of being in London at the right time. That is just my guess.
How I Worked This Out
The dates come from the drop pages on this site, for every product that went on sale in the UK between 1 April and 30 September 2026, on AliExpress UK, the POP MART UK website or in UK stores. I counted each product once. The flagship and new-store figures also use UK store dates up to 23 October.