Nintendo to Open Second U.S. Store in San Francisco
Nintendo, the Japanese gaming giant, announced it will open its second official U.S. store in San Francisco's Union Square on May 15.
Located at 331 Powell Street, the nearly 11,000-square-foot Nintendo SAN FRANCISCO store will offer gamers a "unique shopping experience filled with Nintendo's characters, worlds and exclusive products including accessories, apparel, home goods and souvenirs available only at this location."
The store joins Nintendo's only other U.S. location in New York City's Rockefeller Center, which has been operating since 2005. Nintendo has three additional stores in Japan - in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto.
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Due to expected high demand, Nintendo will require reservations for the grand opening. The company plans to share details about securing a spot on social media platforms.
For those wanting to be among the first visitors, Nintendo is holding a sweepstakes offering one winner and two guests a three-night stay in San Francisco, including transportation, a tour of the store during the launch event, a $500 Visa gift card and $100 in store credit. Entries can be submitted between March 13 and April 8.
The store will carry Nintendo's popular game systems and games, as well as exclusive merchandise only available for in-store purchase. Nintendo's website notes that the location won't have online or phone orders.
The opening brings welcome news to Union Square, which is experiencing a retail boom. Other businesses planning to open in the area include an expanded Ross store, a new Shoe Palace, and popular local bakery B. Patisserie.
Nintendo has sold more than 5.8 billion video games and over 850 million hardware units globally. The company is mostly known for franchises like Mario, Zelda, and Pokémon. Follow @NintendoStoreUS on social media to get the updates on the store.