Dyson rival to hire dozens of engineers

DYSON rival SharkNinja is planning to hire dozens of British engineers and take out more office space at Battersea Power Station in London as it seeks to cement its share of the UK market.

Mark Barrocas, chief executive of SharkNinja, said the company is seeking an extra 75 staff in the UK.

The business – whose cordless vacuums are available online for £230, up to £100 cheaper than an entrylevel Dyson V8 – hopes to expand its engineering department from 180 to 250.

Mr Barrocas said: “This engineering office today has about 180 people in it and we plan to grow this to greater than 250, mainly focused on engineering and innovation over the short term.”

The US business, which went public in a direct listing last year and is valued at $8.5bn (£6.8bn), launched the Shark vacuum cleaner brand in Britain a decade ago followed by its Ninja cooking and kitchenware line.

SharkNinja was one of the first tenants to snap up office real estate in the Grade II listed power station.

Mr Barrocas said: “There is not a lot of hands-on engineering that goes on in Lon- don, so that has been a huge magnet and draw to bring great engineers into working with us here.”

According to the company’s annual report, SharkNinja’s UK sales grew to $840m in 2023, up from $490m in 2022, a 70pc increase. UK revenues now make up roughly a fifth of sales, which globally amount to $4.3bn.

SharkNinja is currently locked in a legal dispute with Dyson in the High Court, which has accused its US rival of breaching its patents with its new hair styler.

SharkNinja, which is fighting the claims, said it did not comment on ongoing litigation.