Pop Mart is officially coming to Leeds as store is approved for Briggate
Leeds Labubu lovers (try saying that three times), your beloved Pop Mart is officially on its way.
You may remember back in June, rumours were circulating around the city about Pop Mart opening up in Leeds.
It was all due to a job advert spotted online, which was followed up by a planning application in September submitted to Leeds City Council by Pop Mart.
The application outlined plans to fit out a vacant unit in the city’s iconic grade II-listed Thornton Arcade.
The application has been approved, granting Pop Mart permission for alterations and the fitting of a new sign for the building at 78 Briggate.
The planning officer’s report said: “The retail unit is currently vacant.
“The refurbishment internally and externally preserves the historic fabric of the grade II-listed building by bringing the currently vacant unit back into use.”
It continued: “As the proposals are almost exclusively internal, other heritage assets in the vicinity are unaffected.
“None of the proposals affect any of the existing historic fabric.”
If you’re not familiar with Pop Mart, then allow us to fill you in.
Pop Mart is famed for its huge collection of designer toys and collectible items, often attracting fans from far and wide who are prepared to queue up outside the doors before opening.
The brand is most famously known for stocking Labubus.
A Labubu is the name of the viral plush toy created by Hong Kong-born, Netherlands-raised designer Kasing Lung, who drew inspiration from his love of fairytales to make this worldwide cuddly phenomenon.
They have been flying off the shelves and even creating some controversy, with some shops refusing to stock them due to customers fighting over them in the streets.
The general public aren’t the only ones all over these famous fur-balls either, as celebs and stars alike have been attaching them to their handbags and sporting them like a prized possession.
Pop Mart is already hugely established in Manchester, London, Birmingham, Cambridge, and Reading.
So Pop Mart, we’ll see you very soon (hopefully).
Read more: Topshop has returned to Leeds and it’s just as iconic as we remember
Featured image – The Hoot Leeds