British consumer technology giant Dyson is launching its first ever UK shop, an Apple store-style hub that opens today on London's Oxford Street.
"Visitors to the Dyson Demo can have their hair styled and dried with the company's Supersonic hairdryer in a first floor salon," says The Guardian, "or choose from more than 60 different types of dust and debris with which to test its bagless and cordless vacuum cleaners".
The outlet will stock 65 products for either immediate purchase or home delivery, ranging from the £149.99 V6 hand-held vacuum cleaner to the brand new 360 Eye, a robotic vacuum cleaner that is being debuted this week and costs £799.
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The company already has four bricks-and-mortar stores around the world – in Moscow, Paris, Tokyo and Jakarta. It sells products in 70 countries through its website and wants to expand its physical presence still further.
Jake Dyson, company director and son of the founder, Sir James Dyson, said: "The Dyson Demo encourages people to be hands-on. The Supersonic salon introduces hair science to the high street for the first time, and nowhere else can [customers] choose between 64 types of dust and debris to test a vacuum cleaner.
"We’re also able to have the cleanest air in London on one of its most polluted streets by having our air purifying products in here."
The new store is not the only example of Dyson’s ongoing expansion. The company is investing £250m in the UK and £1.5bn in wider technological initiatives. In September it will open its new campus in Malmesbury, Wiltshire, employing nearly 3,000 people.
