Pop Mart plans Westfield Montgomery Mall store after Labubu vending machine success
Bethesda collectors may get a steadier shot at Labubu stock. Pop Mart is planning a Westfield Montgomery Mall store after its vending machine there drew crowds and sellouts.
Labubu buyers in Bethesda may soon have a better path than the vending machine scramble that already turned Westfield Montgomery Mall into a hot spot. Pop Mart is set to open a store at the mall after its first Montgomery County Robo Shop at the dining terrace drew crowds, with Labubu demand sometimes pushing the machine into sellouts and temporary shutdowns.
That matters because the mall, at 7101 Democracy Boulevard, has already proven it can pull collector traffic. The new storefront should give Washington-area buyers a more durable way to shop Pop Mart products in person, rather than relying on online drops or the secondary market. It also raises the chance that some of the resale pressure around Labubu could ease a bit, even if scarcity remains part of the game.
For DMV collectors, the practical takeaway is simple: expect this location to matter. A permanent store should mean a broader assortment, a steadier replenishment cycle and a better chance of catching figures on shelves instead of finding the machine empty. If the mall’s vending setup was any guide, early traffic is likely to be heavy, especially when fresh Labubu stock lands or a new blind-box series hits the floor. Anyone making the trip from Washington, Maryland suburbs or Northern Virginia should plan for lines and the possibility that the most sought-after figures will go fast.
Pop Mart’s move also fits a larger U.S. expansion strategy. The company had seven U.S. stores in early 2024 and said the market could eventually support about 200. It opened its first permanent U.S. location at American Dream Mall in New Jersey in September 2023, and it said it operated about 2,000 Robo Shops globally. Westfield Montgomery Mall is not just getting another toy store, then, but another piece of a retail model built around physical browsing, blind-box repeat purchases and fast-moving collectible drops.
The demand behind that model is clear in Pop Mart’s results. The company reported 2024 revenue of RMB 13.04 billion and profit attributable to owners of RMB 3.13 billion. Its annual report said THE MONSTERS, the IP family that includes Labubu, brought in more than RMB 3 billion in 2024 and jumped 726.6 percent year over year, making it Pop Mart’s biggest franchise. Pop Mart’s rise has also come with scrutiny, including April 2026 reporting that testing found some Labubu dolls contained cotton tied to Xinjiang, a reminder that the brand now sits in the middle of a much bigger conversation than just cute figures and resale prices.
For Bethesda collectors, though, the immediate story is local and concrete: a mall that already saw Labubu crowds is about to get a full Pop Mart storefront, and that should change how the Washington area shops for the brand.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
