Dyson Eyes Brick-And-Mortar Push

While best known for making high-end home appliances — particularly its rather sci-fi vacuum cleaners — Dyson is making a move on being better known as a retail presence in its own right.

The firm has has opened a store in the heart of London’s shopping area, with the hopes that its futuristic-looking locale will draw affluent shoppers in needs of the future of home comfort technology. The retail store doubles as something of a test center for consumers, with areas to test the complete line of Dyson goods beyond the famed vacuums. Consumers shopping in Dyson’s Oxford Street store can also experiment with fans, heaters, humidifiers and about 65 other items on display.

And if you think you already know everything you need to about the vacuum product, Dyson is not kidding around with the testing opportunities since its stores offer customers the option of toying with 64 different varieties of dust and dirt.

If none of that cleaning experimentation sounds like all that much fun — after all, it is hard to imagine a mass of consumers looking to vacuum in a store when they have floors at home languishing from neglect — Dyson has also built in a part of the experience to be a bit more luxurious, with an opportunity to test the firm’s latest innovation in self/home improvement: the Supersonic hairdryer.

The on-premises salon will allow customers a chance to have their hair dried and styled by a professional.

This is not Dyson’s first retail store; it already operates in a retail location in Tokyo, among other world cities. But the Dyson Demo is the firm’s most ambitious retail project and one that it might be looking to expand across the pond to New York or San Francisco.

We’ll keep you posted.