Best Buy adds Dyson in-store shops to demo vacuums, hair dryers

In addition to state-of-the-art curved TVs and the latest in smartphones, Best Buy's mini-shops with prominent brands will soon highlight another innovative product: vacuums.

The Richfield-based electronics retailer is launching a new shop-in-shop space in select stores featuring Dyson, the maker of vacuums, hair dryers, fans and other household items. Dyson Demo Experiences, ranging in size from 40 to 400 square feet, will roll out to about 90 of Best Buy's U.S. stores next month.

In these mini-shops, customers can try Dyson products such as its $400 Supersonic hair dryer, which uses special technology to quickly and quietly dry hair, as well as its cord-free vacuums that have been a big seller in recent years and air purifiers that can double as a fan or heater.

The spaces will have trained Best Buy employees who will help answer questions and assist with product demos.

"It's important for customers to see it, touch it, try it and ask questions about it," Kevin Balon, senior vice president of appliances at Best Buy, said in a statement.

The initiative is yet another way Best Buy is trying to differentiate its in-store experience that competitors such as Amazon can't replicate online.

The Dyson mini-shop is one of a flurry of new vendor experiences Best Buy has been rolling out this year.

Other recently added partnerships with dedicated in-store spaces include partnerships with Alienware, Google Home and Amazon Echo, and Vivint Smart Home. They are in addition to a number of other shop-in-shops that Best Buy already has in its stores in partnership with some of its biggest brands such as Samsung, Apple, Microsoft, and Sony.

"Dyson is an incredibly innovative company," said Carly Charlson, a Best Buy spokeswoman. "A lot of people would be surprised by the level of innovation and technology that shows up in these small appliances. They are some of the most innovative products you can find in our stores."

No Twin Cities locations are on the initial list of stores set to get a Dyson mini-shop.

In addition to the new in-store experience, Best Buy has also enhanced the Dyson experience on its website.

Dyson, a fast-growing British company, has begun opening stand-alone stores in major markets such as London and is reportedly planning to open stores later this year in New York and San Francisco.

Kavita Kumar • 612-673-4113