If you enjoy the social heartbeat of tabletop gaming, this announcement feels huge. Warlord Games is opening its first standalone retail and community store outside of Nottingham in 2026.
The new location is set in North West England, and the entire project feels like a major investment in long term hobby culture. The focus is not just on selling minis, because the real goal is building a dedicated space where players can gather, learn, and grow. It feels like the kind of move that can reshape a hobby scene for years.
A Community Leader At The Helm
The store will be led by Kris Sherriff, a familiar face to many long time players. He has been around the hobby for decades and has seen it from every angle, from casual club nights to massive convention events. He has also spent years creating content that helps new players get started, which shows how deeply he cares about the community. His main belief is that the hobby thrives when people have a place to come together. Anyone who has walked into a great gaming store understands that feeling instantly, because the energy of shared excitement makes the space come alive.
Why A Store Can Become A Hobby Engine
Kris spent nearly a decade working at The Sentry Box in Calgary, one of the biggest and most famous hobby stores in the world. That time showed him how a well run store becomes more than a shop. When people can paint side by side, talk lists, and run campaigns together, the space starts generating momentum. One game leads to the next idea, and each conversation turns into another project. A strong store pushes the entire community forward, and Kris wants to build a space that operates with that same momentum.
A Purpose Built Home For Warlord Gamers
What is coming is not a copy of Warlord’s HQ store, but something new. This store is being built from scratch to serve the needs of Warlord players and painters. The plan is to offer plenty of room for games, hobby sessions, system demos, and events. It aims to be a place where you can drop in for a quick chat or stay all day for a full campaign. The vision is a true home base, where painters, Bolt Action players, Konflikt ’47 fans, and newcomers all share the same space and feel immediately welcome.
The First Step In A Bigger Journey
The team is taking their time with this project because they want to get it right from the start. The store needs to stand strong on its own and work smoothly for every type of hobbyist who walks through the door. If it succeeds, it becomes a model for what future Warlord community spaces could look like. This is not a rush toward rapid expansion. Instead, it is the first step in a thoughtful long term plan to support and grow the community.
Overall, this new store feels like the beginning of something meaningful, built by people who truly love the hobby and want to share that passion with everyone who walks in.
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