Dyson to sell best of British to New Yorkers
BRITISH vacuum giant Dyson is opening a store in one of New York’s most prestigious shopping districts as foreign buyers clamour for its wares.
The firm is leasing the Fifth Avenue shop to show off its UK-engineered products, from the bagless cleaners which made it famous to hair dryers and fans.
Its outlet – previously a pop-up cafe run by coffee business Nespresso – is due to open in early autumn.
Inside is 3,167 square feet of floor space, slightly larger than a tennis court. The unit’s owners were reportedly asking for £2,467 per square foot in rent – meaning the firm’s annual bill could be as high as £7.8m.
It is part of a wider push by 30-year-old Wiltshire-headquartered Dyson to grow worldwide. Sales surged 45pc to £2.5bn last year, while profits were up 41pc at £631m. The Far East is a particularly promising market, with Chinese revenue jumping 244pc. Japanese sales were up 30pc and South Korean turnover doubled. Back in the UK, Dyson is hoping to double its 3,500-strong workforce. It is opening a 517-acre tech campus in Hullavington, Wiltshire, as part of a £2.5bn investment in better batteries and robotics.