UK technology company, Dyson, has entered the consumer durable business in India and aims to invest GBP 150 million in its operations in the country over the next five years. Planning to sell its cord-free vacuum cleaners, air purifiers and hair dryers, the company has opened its first store in Delhi NCR and will set up 20 stores in the country.
Dyson India commenced its operation in August last year and has a small team of 60 employees. The products sold in India will be imported from Malaysia and Singapore. Dyson India doesn’t have any immediate plans to setup a manufacturing unit in India. However, the company is evaluating the proposition of exporting components for its manufacturing facilities abroad. “We are committed and obliged to source 30 per cent of whatever we sell, in terms of value for the next five years. We are evaluating the various kind of components such as plastic, PCBs, electronic components, that we can source and export to our manufacturing setups in Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines. India has lots of stuff we can take out in terms of sourcing at reasonable prices,” explains Jake Dyson, Chief Engineer and Member of Dyson Board.
Dyson has launched the products at competitive pricing in India as the company doesn’t have to pay huge import duties either. “The import duty on air purifier is 5 per cent whereas on other products it is none as India has an FDA with Malaysia,” adds Dyson. The Dyson cord-free vacuum cleaners start at Rs 34,400, Pure Cool Link Air Purifiers are priced starting Rs 34,900 and the hairdryer is priced at Rs 27,900.
Dyson’s focus is to keep consumers at the core of its business – it’s building direct-to-home business. Consumers can even request for home demos before buying a product. The company has launched its first store in Delhi NCR today and will also sell its products through the Dyson India website and Amazon India. While the Dyson products will come with a two year warranty, the company will also offer in-house after-sales service.