Gaming fans will not have to wait much longer to get their own town centre hangout spot.
The owners of Tokyo Toys are set to open their new store in Sittingbourne after giving KentOnline a sneak peek of the progress.
The shelves in the new Tokyo Toys shop in Sittingbourne are filling up. Picture: Joe Crossley
Boss Hideki Nguyen, who lives in Bexley, took on the unit that had been mobility aid specialists Ability Plus in the Forum Shopping Centre in February.
Since then, he’s been transforming it into a destination for gamers.
There is an arcade that will have six motion mixers connected to PlayStation 5s, a Nintendo Switch and a foosball and air hockey table. There are also tables to play card games.
Tokyo Toys will sell Japanese anime and manga products, trading cards, video game merchandise and Warhammer tabletop gaming miniature figures.
This is the brand’s fourth location with the closest in Sidcup and the others in Glasgow and Birmingham.
Boss of Tokyo Toys, Hideki Nguyen, in his under-construction shopping centre unit in The Forum, Sittingbourne. Picture: Joe Crossley
Hideki is spending between £70,000 and £80,000 on revamping the shop.
When KentOnline visited in March, he had contractors taking down the ceiling.
The 52-year-old’s wife, Samatha Nguyen, gave us an update on the progress as they prepare to open on Saturday (April 25).
She has been helping out as she is on maternity leave, after giving birth to their second child just five months ago.
The 34-year-old, who is an optician, says the store is almost ready to go.
Samantha Nguyen in the new Tokyo Toys shop. Picture: Joe Crossley
She said: “The acrades room is almost ready, and almost all the stock shelves are up.
“We have put up soundboards, which act as decor, but also keep the sound we make down.
“Upstairs won’t be open yet, but that’s something we knew already, and it gives us room to expand when we are ready.
“The reaction [to us opening] has been really positive. People have been saying that the area needed something like what we are offering.
“We have been asked why open in Sittingbourne.
Plush toys are filling up the shelves in Tokyo Toys new store in Sittingbourne. Picture: Joe Crossley
“It’s in the middle of Kent, and it’s got everything here, like the train station and The Light complex.
“The Forum Shopping Centre has also been really helpful.”
The business has employed seven new staff, six of whom are from the Sittingbourne area.
The new manager is Henry Bancroft, from Bromley, who is a European-level trading card player.
He was promoted to store manager after working in the Sidcup store.
Samatha says they are hoping to bring a big crowd to the store, similar to their openings in Birmingham and Edinburgh, when hundreds of people gathered outside. Some turned up at around 4am before the stores opened at 2pm.
The Sittingbourne store is opening its doors at 10am, but they are asking customers not to start queuing before 9am.
The six motion mixers in the arcade section of Tokyo Toys
Samatha added: “It will be a really fun event.
“We’ll have Gundam building kits, a photobooth where people take pictures of their cosplays and quizzes for people in the queue.
“The queue will come out of the store and round the High Street entrance.”
People can also buy tickets for an after-party event on Sunday, which will start at 4pm and run until 7pm.
Entry will be granted at the back of The Forum on the outside of the shopping centre after it shuts.
Inside Tokyo Toys in Sittingbourne. Picture: Joe Crossley
There will be pizza and refreshments on offer, and the arcade and board games will be free to play.
Tickets can be found on the Tokyo Toys website.
The shop is the latest addition to the centre since new owners, Vanguard Properties UK Ltd, bought it for £2.4 million in December 2024.
Vanguard director Kamal Farid spoke to KentOnline in May about his plans to bring more food and beverage shops to the outlet.
Since then, Julian’s Pie and Mash opened in September, Brew & Bagel opened in January, and the Weigh to Wear clothes store started welcoming customers in February.
Black Pepper English & Mediterranean Cafe Bistro and Cloud Nine Children’s Boutique opened this month (April).
AloJapan.com