Chinese toy firm behind Labubu to open Leeds city centre shop

Pop Mart, the company behind collectable Labubu toys, will fit out a vacant unit in the city’s grade II-listed Thornton Arcade.

Pop Mart's new premises on Briggate
Author: Don Mort, Local Democracy Reporting ServicePublished 12th Nov 2025
Last updated 12th Nov 2025

A Chinese toy firm is set to move into a city centre shop after refurbishment plans were agreed with the council.

Pop Mart, the company behind collectable Labubu toys, will fit out a vacant unit in the the city’s grade II-listed Thornton Arcade.

Leeds City Council granted listed building consent for alterations and new signage for the building at 78 Briggate.

A planning officer’s report said the fit-out would not harm the appearance of the historic building, part of the City Centre Conservation Area.

It 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.”

A design report by DLG Architects said the project included an internal fit-out of the ground floor and redecoration of the upper floors.

New signage would face onto Briggate and the arcade.

The report said: “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.”

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